Into the Fey
by ElvenAngelMayCry
Summary: After a lifetime of fighting demons, being introduced to restless dead and witches, there isn't much left that can surprise Dante. Until a job with a personal note pits him against something new: The Sídhe. Except these aren't the fanciful fairies of storybooks, and he's about to get dragged right into a sinister reality of bargains, cut-throat factions and demonic corruption. [OC]
1. Prologue

**Please Read**

Hi. This is probably the weirdest DMC fanfic I've ever written and I've written some strange ones. I mean… I'm having Dante deal with fairies, essentially. _Fairies_. And I'm making an effort to write them with a straight face and make them intimidating and imposing.

I must be out of my mind.

And I'm not very sorry about this, either.

This fic is part of my active headcanon and that includes my witch, Tess. For information on her, please refer to my original fanfics "Frail Equilibrium" and "Crossfire". To make a long story short, she's a witch that Dante is on good terms with. They get into a lot of shenanigans together, not all of them good. She likes fire; a lot.

Well anyway, just wanted to add that I have knowingly used wrong terminology in this fic because I messed up my research and didn't realize it till I was deep into the fic. To clarify:

_Sídhe _is the proper name of the dwellings of fairies/elves/fey, which are known as _Aos Sí_ or _Aes Sí _and in some texts even as _daoine sídhe._Initially, I had it backwards and I kept writing it as such until I went back to my notes and realized my blunder. But I didn't want to bog you down with complicated terminology so I decided to stick with it and use the simpler term of _Sídhe _as a catch-all. I used the _Realm_ as a general way to reference the otherworld this story takes place in because there are a lot of different names in folklore and they all mean roughly the same thing so I settled on that as a colloquialism.

Thank you for reading and please enjoy the madness.

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

_Brrrrring… Brrrrrrring… _

Dante's eyelids parted slowly and a frown creased his forehead. He briefly wondered how long he'd been sleeping in his chair with his legs propped on the desk. It felt like only minutes but from the change of light in his office, it was more likely a couple of hours. He sniffed lazily and shifting his position a bit, banged the heel of his foot on the desk.

The receiver of his hopelessly antiquated phone bounced up with a strangled ring and by the time it came down, he'd sat up and so it landed in his expectant hand. He yawned briefly before bringing it to his ear.

"Devil May Cry," he said flatly.

"It's me."

Dante opened his eyes fully. It was Tess. She never called for idle chit-chat. "What's going on, Twig?" he asked, sitting up and getting his feet off the desk.

He heard a small tired sigh from her end. "Could you please swing by my place? I have a client for you. He's… not cozy with the idea of hiring you but I'll explain when you get here. Could you hurry? We're kind of short on time."

Dante frowned. It wasn't the first time that Tess had a job for him but she always referred the prospective client to him and usually left him to his own devices. As far as he knew, she loathed bringing her work home.

"Yeah, I'm coming," was all he said and they both hung up.

He got up and got properly dressed, tucked his guns away in the holsters behind his back, pulled his coat on and picked up his sword. She had sounded troubled on the phone. He knew Tess well enough and the witch rarely referred a job to him that she couldn't do herself. He'd long learned that if she needed him to do something, it was usually with good reason. So there was no point to fuss or sass her about it. He left his office with a glum September midday sun sending anemic rays through clouds.

Barely twenty minutes later, he was ascending the metal staircase on the side of Tess' building and knocking on the door of her loft. She opened it almost immediately and looked relieved to see him. The witch's red hair was a bit ruffled, her clothes bore signs of a fight and she had a somewhat agitated expression.

"Thank the stars. He's just about to crawl out of his skin," she huffed. "Before anything else, you need to know he's not human."

Dante just stared at her. Tess usually dumped facts on him like that but this one was not the usual kind. "Not human?" he quipped.

"He's…" she started and then groaned. "Look, just come in."

She grabbed him by the lapel and pulled him inside. Her small loft was a bit more untidy than usual – he knew that her familiar, Roy, was away on a personal errand and Tess looked so distracted that Dante felt he could safely bet that she had been too busy to care. But more to the point, Dante glanced around and saw nobody else there. He could feel the presence of _something_ but it was completely foreign to him. It couldn't be a ghost; he could see those (just not as well as Tess) and he knew when he sensed those.

"Where is he?" he blurted.

Tess hissed a small curse and looked up. "Tanglewood, do stop pacing around my ceiling. Get down; he's not going to eat you."

Dante looked up and quirked an eyebrow. There was a small… person standing on her ceiling in the far side of the room, as naturally as if it had been the floor. Gravity appeared to have no effect, neither on his person, nor his clothes. He just paced back and forth between two beams nervously. Dante had seen something of the kind, years before, when he was stuck in Temen Ni Gru. Jester had been up to similar antics and being reminded of that immediately made him feel a bit edgy.

"Are you certain he can be trusted, Miss Templar?" the creature said with a slight tremble.

"Yes I am," Tess countered impatiently. "Now get down, or the deal is off and you're on your own."

Dante only took his eye off the being for a moment but it was enough, because the weird thing was simply gone from the ceiling. It was now standing on the floor, still as far away from them as it could. Dante finally got a good look at him.

He was humanoid, about the size of a small teenager but in all proportions a full-grown adult. He was lanky and appeared almost deceptively delicate but by the nervous way he was wringing his hands Dante could interpret a kind of wiry strength in his limbs. His skin was dark and ashy, with a texture almost as though it ought to be wood but then again not. He had a narrow, bony face with a pinched expression, large gray eyes and a pointed nose that stuck upwards a little. There was a wide line of black around his head, almost like a mask – Dante wasn't sure if that was painted or was a natural coloration of his skin. His hair was frizzy, ash blond and shoulder-length, pulled back and bunched together in an awkward short ponytail with clumps of loose hair sticking out in every direction. He was dressed in what looked like tattered gray jeans, a dirty cream shirt of some material that looked almost like thick cobweb and an equally tattered charcoal vest that must've been made by abnormally large, grey leaves sewn together somehow. He wore a very long, faded purple sash with gold trim around his waist, the edges trailing on the floor haphazardly and thick brown boots with black spats.

Dante couldn't even really think of a clever line to drop. He'd never really seen anything like this creature.

"What the hell is he?" was the only thing that he could think of asking.

"I'm a Puck," the strange thing spat. "My name is Tanglewood, squire to… well, that doesn't matter anymore. I'm in service of the Queen," he added with barbed self-confidence.

As if Dante was expected to know what the short-round was going on about.

"Remember when I explained to you what my father was?" Tess said calmly.

Dante quirked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, a… changeling, right?"

She nodded. "Which means he was a _Sídhe_ that was left in place of a human baby. And that's what Tanglewood here is. He's a Sídhe."

Dante couldn't help it now. He laughed. "Are you telling me he's a _fairy_?"

Tanglewood suddenly grew livid. "Oh, sure! Same way you're a pitchfork-wielding imp devil!" he spat.

Tess sighed patiently. "Tangle, please shut up," she said, looking at him pointedly.

The Sídhe turned silent, but glared at them with a surly expression. Dante, still smirking at the absurdity of it all, looked at her in demand of an explanation.

"Calling the Sídhe 'fairies' is really wishful thinking," she said. "I mentioned this to you ages ago. Sídhe have more in common with demons—"

"I resent that statement!" Tanglewood protested hotly.

"—than they do with picture-book fairies. They live in a separated plane of existence, like demons. Many of them are just as dangerous and spiteful of humans as demons. Their society is run through deals, contracts, favors and other such complications. Except they're actually bound to act that way. But that's beside the point. The job he needs you for is more up your usual alley."

Dante looked at Tanglewood dubiously. "Sídhe have demon problems?"

"Trust me, they don't appreciate demons any more than humans do," Tess said and shrugged. "They hate them a _lot_ more. That's why he's being so difficult."

Tanglewood glared daggers at Dante. "Miss Templar spoke to me about you. You're half-demon," he said and wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah, yeah. He doesn't bite, Tangle. Stop acting like a child," Tess snapped at him. "Honestly, at this point you haven't got much room to complain, for all the shit you're in. You'll be lucky if the Court doesn't flay you and hang your skin to dry."

"Hold it, hold it…" Dante said and snickered. "What's he even doing in your house, Tess? How does a fairy—"

"I'm not a bloody fairy!" Tangle snapped.

"—end up working with you?"

Tess shook her head. "I'll tell you later, we kind of need to hurry with this."

Tanglewood sulked under her cold stare and huffed, then shuffled closer, with a look as if gathering his courage. He stared up at Dante with an almost ridiculously serious look. "Miss Templar has assured me that you are more than capable of handling my predicament so… I suppose I can assume you are trustworthy. Therefore—"

Dante rolled his eyes and turned to Tess, who was biting back a laugh. "What does he want?"

Tangle groaned in embarrassment.

"He needs you to kill a corrupted Bargest," she explained in simpler terms. "It's a dog-like, beast Sídhe. It's been tainted by demonic miasma and it's grown into a goddamn monster."

"Yes and it killed my master, Sir Guyon, when we were sent to dispatch it after it devoured the moron responsible for its creation," Tangle bristled. "Bally idiotic Sídhe, cavorting around with demons, as if that's any way to do things! Opening ripples to the Underworld and letting miasma through! And then the bloody thing just _had_ to escape to the human lands."

"Your master?" Dante asked, tilting his head.

"He was a Sídhe knight's squire, don't get him started," Tess interjected, just as Tanglewood appeared ready to into another tirade. "Tangle, you mentioned that there's been quite a lot of demonic presence in the Realm, didn't you?"

"Yes!" the puck snarled. "Left, right and center – ripples open up and out comes a cart-load of miasma and demons! It's like someone keeps poking holes in reality. We don't know what in Oberon's name is going on."

Dante grinned. Well, now he was interested. Demons bothering fairies. Sure, why the hell not? "What's that Realm thing you mentioned?"

"That's how the Sídhe call their world," Tess shrugged. "You know, like the demons call theirs the Underworld…"

Dante quirked an eyebrow. "Right."

"So… will you render me your services?" Tanglewood asked him bluntly, his ranting mood waning.

Dante scoffed. "Sure, why the hell not? I don't get to see fairies every day."

"Gah! Enough with that nonsense! Dumb humans and their fanciful ideas!" Tangle snapped. "I don't care if the nobility pansies care to be called 'The Fair Folk'" he said with a disdainful grimace, "but I'm a bloody common Puck and a squire to the Queen and that's it!"

Dante couldn't help laughing. The little guy was a veritable firecracker. "Whatever you say. You got yourself a hunter."

Tanglewood appeared a little mollified and just uttered an appreciative grunt as he folded his arms and sulked.

"Well now that we're all on the same page, let's get this over with. I've had enough of Sídhe for this week," Tess sighed.

"That why you call me? You couldn't oblige him?" Dante asked her as she gently ushered him out her door.

"Yep," she admitted. "That damn thing is nasty. I didn't try a very heavy-handed approach because it's both Sídhe and demonic; for all I know its dual nature might mess with more forceful spells. The usual seals I employ to fight demons don't work right and fire… well, you'll see for yourself. The damn thing _eats_ it."

"We did manage to track it and isolate it," Tangle grumbled. "Miss Templar bound it to a deserted building nearby. It will still be there, licking its wounds. Bargests do not like the light of day, no matter where they are. It must be put down post-haste, lest it run rampant in the human world and claim lives in the night."

"That bad?" Dante smirked.

"Oh I can't wait for it to bite your ass and wipe that smirk off your face," Tess huffed, striding purposefully towards her car. "Tangle, go on ahead and keep tabs on it. I don't need a goddamn demonic Sídhe barreling through the city."

Tanglewood, who had remained surly throughout that, nodded sharply and started walking forward, just to vanish into thin air. Dante suppressed his curiosity and just got in Tess' Plymouth Roadrunner for the ride to the location.

"So how do you know this Puck thing?" Dante asked, getting into the passenger's seat.

Tess started the engine and sped right off. "Tangle and I go back. When I still lived with the coven, I found him caught by a warlock who was going to use his bones to build some kind of artifact. I saved his butt. He owes me, so we have an arrangement: If I need anything from the Sídhe, he gets it for me. And because I'm nice… I agreed to help him with his problem."

Dante smiled wryly. "_Quid pro quo,_ eh?"

"Something like that. It's dangerous to have too many dealings with Sídhe, but Tangle's got neither the power, nor the attitude for serious damage," she sighed. "I'd almost say he's nice but you saw how difficult he can be."

By the time she pulled up outside a dilapidated building in the industrial district, the sun was hanging quite low in the sky and Tess pursed her lips in annoyance. She got out of the car and didn't even look around to make sure Dante followed. Tangle appeared out of nowhere near the door.

"It's still inside miss, but the circle is almost depleted!" he reported. "We're only just in time."

Dante blinked at him. Since leaving them and meeting them here, he'd gotten hold of a fairly large (for his size, anyway) and sturdy bow made of gnarled wood, and a quiver stuffed with arrows. A big (again, for his size) knife with a curved edge was wedged in his sash.

"You heard him Dante, that thing's straining at the leash. We _have_ to kill it before it gets out."

Dante just shrugged, smiled and drew his sword. "Fine. Let's go kill a fairy monster," he joked.

An hour later, he wasn't entirely sure if he still thought it was so funny. The Bargest was a real beast, about the size of a large rhino and built like a small tank. It was as if a bear had been crossed with a rabid wolf and given steroids. It reeked of demonic stench, mingled with the peculiar energy of the Sídhe. It wasn't fully corporeal, flickering like static sometimes and _much_ faster than its size and bulk belied.

Its huge head sported teeth, tusks and horns that would made demons jealous. It had actually managed to get its jaws around his arm and Dante had struggled a bit to break free of its bite. Its paws were so big that its claws alone were about the length of a child's arm. In one swipe it had demolished a wall as if it were made of paper. It had the blackest fur Dante had ever seen, almost as if it absorbed all light and only gave off a sickly green flame of its own. On top of that, Dante got a funny feeling of 'wrong' from it, as if this thing shouldn't exist.

Tess had been correct in her assessment. Any fire she conjured to use against it was immediately absorbed, literally devoured by the Bargest; it would open its jaws and suck in every flame, just to spew it back as demon fire. All she could really do was continually keep it from escaping with multiple seals at a time. It didn't seem to even register pain and gunfire only slowed it down. It responded better to getting cleaved but even then it took quite a lot of heavy hits and in the meantime, it seemed to be in a berserk state. Fortunately, it seemed to have locked in on him the moment he got in its face.

In all that mess, Tanglewood had been bouncing around the rafters above, firing his bow at it, for all the good it would do. Dante bit back a snide remark when two arrows, one after the other, found their mark squarely in the Bargest's left eye, distracting it long enough for him to gain an additional advantage. He wasn't sure if they were simple arrows anyway, because on contact the Bargest's peculiar flesh would sizzle and burn as if it were hit with acid.

When it finally fell, Dante laughed a bit wryly as it toppled over on him, Rebellion deeply embedded in its massive chest. He often complained he didn't get enough of a challenge from fighting with demons anymore but he'd actually worked up a bit of a sweat fighting this damn thing. He wasn't even inclined to make any more fairy jokes. He heaved the Bargest's dead body off him slowly and the massive beast fell with a dull thud on its side. He stood straight and started to dust himself down.

"That was interesting," he chuckled.

Tess uttered a deep sigh and walked towards him, wiping her brow. "I hope I never have to do that again," she huffed. "This is why Sídhe getting corrupted by demonic powers sucks. What works on demons doesn't always work on Sídhe and vice versa so fighting something that's both is like trying to mix water and oil. _Ugh_."

Dante pulled his sword out of the carcass and prodded the thing cautiously. He had to admit, it was almost fascinating to see how demonic miasma had influenced what he assumed to be an already fearsome creature. Tanglewood jumped down from the rafters, his quiver now nearly empty from all the arrows he'd fired. He glared at the dead thing and without any ceremony pulled out his knife and went to work on its head. He stabbed straight through its throat and wiggled the knife in the wound with almost comical rage, spilling vile-smelling, dark blood.

"Now I'm sure," he growled and then started to saw away at one of the Bargest's horns.

Dante raised an eyebrow.

"He took losing his master pretty badly," Tess said to him quietly. "He must feel awful not being able to avenge him without help."

After he managed to break off one horn and then another, Tangle walked away from the corpse and stormed up to them. He held out one of the horns to Dante with a glower. It was a big, impressive thing, almost like the antler of a stag with a jagged edge. The fresh stump dripped blood.

"The spoils of the hunt are rightfully yours, Dante," the Puck said begrudgingly. "I have to keep one to take to the Queen as proof that I avenged my master. But you may keep the bigger one."

Dante stared down at him with confusion for a moment, then wordlessly took the gory trophy. It wouldn't even be the strangest thing he'd take as a trophy. Tanglewood stuck the other one in his sash along with his knife.

"I also wish to reward you for your assistance," he added and thrust into Dante's hand a thick, coarse linen purse tied with string. It jingled heavily when it moved. "Silver has no worth for Sídhe. We loathe it. But Miss Templar has told me it is of some worth to humans. You can have it."

"Huh. Thanks," Dante said and accepted it. "Nice doing business with you, I guess."

Tanglewood sniffed disdainfully at him and then looked at Tess. "Thank you for your help, Miss Templar. I am again in your debt," he muttered and bowed briefly. "I'll take my leave of you now. Fair fortunes to you."

He spun around on his heel and vanished.

"How does he do that?" Dante asked.

"He's a Puck. They go wherever they want. That's their thing," Tess sighed. "Thanks for helping me sort that out. I didn't want to say it in front of him but I felt sorry for the little guy. He was very upset when he came looking for me. He thinks it was somehow _his_ fault that the Bargest escaped from the Realm."

"Upset? He looked like was pissed at everything," Dante joked and turned the Bargest horn over while they walked out of the now wrecked building.

Tess chuckled. "Yeah but he still gave you first pick of the trophies – _and_ paid you. That's a big thing for Sídhe. He's either scared shitless of you or respects you, hehe."

"If all fairies are like him, they're more fucked up than demons," he muttered and flicked the horn aside, trying to get most of the blood off it.

"You have no idea," Tess sighed and got in her car.

Dante thought he probably was never going to mess with Sídhe ever again. That it had been a one-off, freak little accident of happenstance, a Sídhe slipping into the human world while carrying demonic corruption. It wasn't as if this was going to be a common recurrence.

But the next time he'd see Sídhe, he'd be playing ball in their home field, by their rules and with his neck and someone's life on the line and a whole world on the cusp of war.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was several weeks after his turbulent formal introduction to the Sídhe. Dante quickly fell back into his usual routine. Long empty days interspersed with the occasional job – some of them included actual demons and some fighting, once in a while.

A slow night of drinking and pizza had left him passed out asleep on the couch in his office. Having nothing better to do usually leave him restless and when he got restless, bad things tended to happen. So he'd tried to busy himself with polishing off a bottle of strong, aged whiskey that he had gotten as part of a payment once, which he had stashed around his office. He didn't get _quite_ drunk but he was buzzed enough to pass out where he was lounging.

He was waking up now, feeling comfortably lazy and not really inclined to get up for anything or anyone. He could see the beams of his office's ceiling through half-closed eyelids and the streaks of light coming in through the blinds. It must've been late morning. All was well.

Or so he thought.

"Dante. Wake up, son."

He was about to drift back to sleep when he heard that and felt a hand lay on his shoulder gently and shake him.

Dante snapped his eyes open. He knew that kindly gruff voice anywhere. "Roy? What the hell are you… doing here, old man?" he blurted and sat up.

Roy stood straight, tall and grim like a pillar beside the sofa. His lined face was creased with a heavy frown. His graying hair was untidier than usual and he'd forgone with his shades, which left his damaged left eye out in the open and made his frown even more severe. Seeing him in human form with such a grim expression, put Dante on guard. The old djinn hardly ever paid him visits to his office unless Dante had particularly asked him for some repair as a favor or the djinn had a message for him.

And he never looked so disheveled and distracted unless something _really_ bad was going on.

"Get up. Quickly now, because we've got a situation," Roy said.

Then suddenly Tanglewood, of all people, rushed past Roy and all but grabbed Dante by the shoulders. His narrow face was contorted by anxiety, his large eyes were bulged and his already wild hair stuck up and frizzed even worse than the last time Dante had seen him. He looked like he'd been through a tumble-dryer.

"Sir! Sir, please! I have need or your skills! Hurry! She won't—"

"What the hell?! What are _you_ doing here?" Dante blurted as the Puck got in his face.

Roy tried to gently pull him away. "Tanglewood, will you calm down—"

"There is no time!" the near-hysterical Puck screeched. "There is no time to be calm! We need to go now! Miss Templar is in danger and it's _all my fault_!"

Dante suddenly grabbed the Sídhe by the back of the neck. "_Calm down!_" he shouted. "What happened to Tess!? C'mon, quit screeching and just talk."

Tanglewood seemed to be on the verge of an apoplexy. "She's gone! She-she's stuck there! And it's my fault! Please, you have to help me! Help _her_!"

Dante stood up and pulled the little guy up with him and gave him a little shake in frustration. "_What_ did you do?!"

Tanglewood was still freaking out and Roy grabbed Dante's shoulder. "I've pieced together what he's going on about," he said. "After the fiasco with the Bargest, Tess got concerned with the situation Tangle described, about the Realm experiencing so many ripples to the Underworld. They've apparently been getting worse."

"Much worse! Oh it's been a right royal mess, I tell you!" Tangle squeaked. "I came to find Miss Templar two days ago; I just didn't know what to do because it involved the human realm and this has never really happened before—"

"Get a hold of yourself, damned foolish Puck! Spare us the hysterics!" Roy snarled at him.

Tanglewood swallowed hard. "It was a human child. Goblins kidnapped it from your realm. I heard an Unseelie Sídhe wanted it as a tithe, for a ripple in their lands. I couldn't stand for that! A little child! It was monstrous!"

A certain suspicion rose in Dante's mind. "Did you get Tess to do something?" he asked.

"I had to!" Tanglewood bawled. "I could've done something myself if I had known early enough but by the time I found out what was happening, that child was beyond my help. I needed Miss Templar. I didn't want that child to die!"

Dante stared hard at him, still dangling from the back of his vest. "What happened?"

The Puck groaned. "I had to bring her to the Realm so we could go together and rescue the child. But on our way to the child something happened," he said and gulped. "Another ripple opened and… and demons came out. There were so many of them. The troupe of Unseelie we were following entered battle with them. In the chaos… I…I lost sight of Miss Templar. I was n-nearly killed," he stammered. "We got separated. I couldn't find her! I didn't know what to do s-so I came to seek help—"

Dante felt his face twitch when he heard that. "You _left_ her there?!" he snapped. "Are you stupid? You left her in another realm? _In the middle of a demon invasion_!?"

Tanglewood groaned and whimpered. "I know! It's all my fault! I _was_ stupid! But please, you have to help me! I got her into this mess! I _must_ help her, any way I can, at any cost! You need to come with me and help me rescue her! And we must hurry – there are dire consequences for changelings that linger too long in the Realm unprotected!"

Roy's gaze snapped at the Puck sharply and Dante glared. "What consequences?" he snapped.

"There is no time to explain now, sir!" Tangle screamed and flailed his arms and legs, trying to break out of Dante's grip. "It's only been two days for you and Master Roy but in the Realm time flows differently than in the human world. Miss Templar has been in the Realm for _two weeks_ now!"

"Two weeks…!" Dante gasped. "What the hell?!"

Roy shook his head and parted them. "Tanglewood is right. Dante, forget the questions and getting angry now. Go with him. I can't do a thing to help because I'm a djinn."

Dante let go of Tanglewood and wheeled around, going for his guns and his sword. It was just as well that he'd fallen asleep dressed. They weren't his usual 'working' clothes but the dark pants, gray shirt and black and red vest would do for now.

"What's that got to do with anything?" he snapped, holstering his guns.

"I can't enter the Realm," Roy explained. "I'm an immortal entity of the natural world of this realm. I'm an integral part of the world. I can't travel between planes. But you're still mortal, Dante, you can. So it has to be you."

Tanglewood directed a hard stare at Dante. Since Dante hadn't given any sign of being averse to following him, the Puck had managed to swallow back much of his hysterical attitude. He still trembled with indignation. "You're a formidable enough hunter," he said hotly. "We will venture into great danger, without a doubt. Your skill will be needed for this rescue attempt. But you must follow me exactly because you know nothing of the Realm and knowing nothing of it is the worst error any mortal can make, be they children of demons or not. Power alone means nothing in the Realm. It has its own laws."

Dante threw on his coat. "Why would Tess worry about demonic gates… or ripples, or whatever, in the fairy world, anyway?" he growled.

Tanglewood was so upset that he didn't even react to the 'fairy' comment. "It isn't the Realm that concerns her, sir," he said coldly. "I know this and I don't flatter myself by believing she cares so much about a world half alien to her. But she should and so should you. It may be hard for demons to enter the human realm from the Underworld… but it is not so hard for them to enter the Realm, as the ripples prove. And traveling from the Realm to the human world is not so very hard."

Dante twitched. Yes, he knew exactly what Tanglewood was implying and why Tess would be worried about a surplus of abnormal gates from the Underworld to fairy-land. Demons could just parade through to the human world. It made _him_ concerned just to know about it and he did his best to mask that.

"Fine, you've made your point," he said sharply. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Go with him," Roy said with a huff. "Find Tess; get her out of there, whatever it takes, Dante. Stick with this stupid Puck, he's foolish and reckless but he's your best bet of finding her in the Realm. I've never been there but I know it can be overwhelming. It'll be nothing like the human world… or the Underworld."

Dante snorted. "After the Underworld, nothing surprises me anymore, old man."

Roy scoffed grimly. "You're about to enter a world run by nuance, deals, scheming courts and vendettas. This won't end well. Now get going."

"How are we even going to get there?" Dante asked, cocking his head. "Getting to the Underworld needs gates, is the Realm like that?"

"Of course it is," Tangle said stiffly. "But nothing like the ghastly edifices demon-loving humans make, or the pits that demons create. We're _civilized_."

Dante felt that the situation was too ridiculous already without a one-liner about the Sídhe being 'civilized' compared to demons. Roy, at least, appeared to be grateful for his restraint.

Tanglewood rushed up to his office's front door and closed it properly, then fished a large, bronze skeleton key from a pouch tied to his sash. "Master Roy, it is midday in this world, is it not?"

Roy checked his watch. "Almost exactly midday," he said dryly.

"Thank goodness. This will be easy then," Tanglewood commented and inserted his key into the lock.

Dante squinted. He wasn't sure how the key even fit in the lock because the skeleton key was much too large for the conventional lock his door had, but somehow the key just fit in the lock because it was a key and a lock, rather than because of the conventional way a key fits into the lock it was cut for.

"Don't think about Sídhe tricks too hard," Roy advised sagely. "You'll end up with a headache, which is exactly how they like it. Just roll with it, son."

Tangle opened the door. Except instead of a door there was a portal of sorts. It spanned the space where his front door had been, a lazily swirling mass of something like thick, smooth and pillow-like white smoke. Flashes of color crept through the whorl and faded just as quickly as they appeared. It looked more solid than smoke though and Dante got a strange feeling from it, unlike anything he'd ever sensed before. For once in his life, Dante hesitated. He reached out and tentatively touched the substance with his fingers, bare as they were from his biker gloves. It was neither cold nor hot, neither wet nor dry. It was both there and not there. But whatever was beyond it felt worlds away.

"Don't dally, don't dally!" Tangle snapped and grabbed a hold of his coat as he crossed into the portal. "Come on, move! Pick up your big feet! And keep your legs stiff as you go through, you'll need to land! Something's messing with the portal!"

Dante got yanked forward suddenly, as if the portal had grabbed hold of his hand and was sucked in. It felt like walking through a wall of water but there was no feeling of temperature, pressure or resistance. Just fluidity. It was the weirdest thing he'd felt up till then in his life, hands down. He was used to Gates to the Underworld by now and never expected to be surprised by world-switching again. Passing through Gates was a harsh, ugly experience, being wrenched from the world and into Hell. By comparison, this experience had an almost dream-like quality – and yet he felt a hint of nightmare clinging to its edges.

_First time for everything,_ I guess, he thought absently.

But then something felt off. Dante actually felt sick for a fraction of a moment, when everything just went sideways. It was as if the bit of reality he was treading on had suddenly become unstuck from the world and was swaying dangerously from a thread. The next thing he knew, his field of vision was full of branches and pine needles. There was no more pillowy white, just impact after impact with branches. He gasped and got a grip on his descent; he pointed his feet solidly down towards the gritty ground that he saw rapidly approaching and raised his arms to shield his face.

"What?! _What_?! How the hell did this happen!?" Tanglewood shouted from somewhere near him. "Mab's conceited arse, why did we end up here?"

He'd have laughed if he wasn't so confused. Dante's feet hit a soft ground of reddish soil, peppered with wild grasses and the odd shrub. The ground had a steep angle and even as he landed he went sliding on his feet down the steep incline. He threw his weight back to keep from pitching forward and over his head, sliding down the hill and raising a dust cloud in his wake. He threw himself sideways to dodge a tree but hit a fallen trunk and fell forward. He tumbled ungracefully for a few feet down the hill before he managed to come to a stop just as the incline started to smooth out. He'd gotten a lot of scrapes, banged his head on a stone on his way down and torn his coat on a branch.

"Are you alright?" Tanglewood asked as he appeared beside him, his hair full of twigs and burrs. More twigs and leaves stuck to his clothes and his face was scratched and dirtied, making him look more like a woodland sprite – ironically.

Dante got up and dusted himself down, blurting a wry laugh. "Fuck me sideways, that's the dumbest landing I've ever done. I haven't been that clumsy since I was three," he scoffed. "What the hell was that for, Tinkerbell?"

"Don't call me that!" Tanglewood exploded. "And I don't know! Something messed with the portal. It shouldn't have done that. We should not have ended up thirty feet above the ground, in a troll-damned tree. And certainly not _here_!"

He swung his arm and gestured around them "I have no idea what we're even doing in this place! The portal was supposed to open just beyond Triamond's Spire, near where I last saw Miss Templar. We've ended up in the Ardernverre wood – _halfway across the Realm_!"

Dante stood straight at last and looked around. Now that he was on relatively level ground and had the time to recollect himself, he finally realized how odd everything felt. The air was different; nothing like the Underworld but in a way the same kind of alien strangeness. Around them grew a dense forest, mostly pine-like trees but none of them really familiar in shape. Even with Tangle's growling he could hear sounds coming from the wood; the crack of branches underfoot of some creature, the creak of aging trees and bird calls – at least, he thought they were bird calls. For all he knew they could be some language. There was a kind of aromatic mist in the air and low clumps of fog creeping along the ground.

He looked up and saw an unfamiliar twilight sky streaked with clouds, through the thick branches. It smelled as if it had just rained, mingled with the aroma of pine and earth.

_So this is the Realm,_ he thought. _I'm in goddamn fairyland._

"Great," he huffed. "So you got us lost."

Tangle shook a small fist at him. "It wasn't me! Something disturbed the portal. There's something going on, it must be across the Realm if it completely changed the destination of a skeleton key portal."

"So what now, Tinkie?"

Tanglewood shot him a murderous glare. "Don't-!" he blurted but then shut his mouth and took a deep breath. "Fine. _Fine._ Insult me if you will. But now we have to get out of the Ardenverre and get to the Basilica settlement. On foot it'll take us ages, the pace you humans walk. We will have to procure a means of transport…" he said thoughtfully.

Dante was starting to lose his patience with him. "Oh sure, we can pick up a car I suppo—"

Behind him a branch cracked, very close. He grew very still and so did Tangle. Dante narrowed his eyes. There was a weirdly familiar and yet at the same time new feeling creeping up on him. Something was coming right for them. He glanced at Tanglewood, who stood as still as a cat stalking prey. Then with slow, deliberate motions, he slung his bow down from his shoulder and swiftly and silently nocked an arrow.

Now Dante heard what had made Tangle react so decisively: A raspy, heaving breath from right behind him and the shuffle of feet. The Puck's arrow flew just as he whipped around with both guns drawn. The arrow hit its mark with a dull crack. Straight through the creature's eye, but the creature made no sound even as the eyeball ruptured like a boil, oozing a disgusting black fluid. The creature only halted its advance, as if puzzled.

It had the general size of a large human, hunched over and misshapen, the face contorted like the head of a toad, bare of all hair. It appeared naked and emaciated, the ribs sticking out prominently under the yellowish skin, stretched taut over its bones, dry and cracked in places. Its remaining eye glowed a solid pale yellow, although the creature appeared to pay the injury to its eye no heed. Its body was covered in lesions and discolored, festering sores. The arms, unnaturally elongated and bony, hung low, the shoulders hunched and it shuffled forward slowly, dragging its massive feet. It stank of rot and decay.

Dante stared at it curiously. Though monstrous it was so wretched-looking that for a second he almost felt sorry for it even as he pointed his guns at it.

"That is a Sluagh," Tangle said tremulously. "That is what happens to humans who die in the Realm and their bodies not returned to the human world. They are taken by the wild magic of the Realm, a very bad kind of magic. Their bodies fester with rot and poison. They are death and decay incarnate, walking the Realm."

"Yeah well, not interested in getting to know the wildlife," Dante growled and fired both guns straight at its skull.

The Sluagh reeled back from the impact of the two bullets, its spine bending backwards almost impossibly. It then slowly hunched forward again and Dante stared. One bullet had hit straight in the center of the forehead, blowing open a sizeable hole and the other had pierced through the side of the mouth and torn off a big chunk of skin and part of the cheek. It revealed disproportionately huge teeth. The Sluagh's shriveled lips curled back and the mouth parted impossibly widely, showing two rows of shark-like, scissor teeth and a long, prehensile tongue covered in black slime. More of the black, viscous liquid poured from the hole in the forehead.

"Aaah! That's not right!" Tangle gasped. "What in Oberon's breeches is wrong with that Sluagh?!"

Dante clicked his tongue. _Can nothing ever just be simple?_

The Sluagh's parted mouth hissed and the tongue shot at him suddenly, wrapping securely around his wrist. It pulled back and Dante had to firmly plant his feet on the ground and dig his heels in to prevent it from just dragging him its way. He wrinkled his nose. An overwhelming smell of sulfur and bile flitted to his nostrils, which was all too familiar.

"Well one mystery's solved, Tinkie. This little beastie smells like demon meddling," he said through grit teeth, his arm trembling from the effort of holding his ground against the aberration trying to pull him towards it.

Tanglewood groaned. "Brilliant. Of all the bally Sídhe to get tainted by demons, it had to be a bloody Sluagh! Because the fact that they're _dead_ already isn't bad enough!"

While grumbling however, he still nocked another arrow and let it loose. The arrow flew straight and true and struck the outstretched tongue, severing it with a sickening tearing noise. The severed limb spewed more foul liquid and the creature staggered backwards from the sudden release. Dante stumbled back only one step, jerked his arm aside to get rid of the sticky tongue still wrapped around his forearm and shook it a few times to get the slime off.

"Heh, doesn't matter if it's dead or alive, Sídhe or demon. It's going down," Dante said grimly.

The Sluagh shambled towards them, with a ceaseless, raspy wheezing; foul ichor spewed from its injuries, which withered any plant it came in contact with. Dante calmly put his guns away and drew the Rebellion, eyeing the creature for any sign as to what it was planning to do, or even for some sign of intelligence. There was nothing. It just shambled forward towards him and the closer it got the sharper that feeling Dante got became.

"So… just like the Bargest," he muttered.

Suddenly the creature surged, closing the distance between them impossibly quickly. As it moved, it seemed to swell, grow taller and rough spines erupted from its body, along the arms and spine. The legs dislocated and grew into large paws. The hands swelled into claws. It spread its jaws so wide that its neck vanished under the cavernous jaws and rows of teeth. Dante grit his teeth and swung his sword in a hard sideways strike. He felt it cut deep but a blinding pain spread from his shoulder. Rebellion was deeply embedded in the Sluagh's side, black liquid spraying from the wound like a fountain. But at the same time, the Sluagh's jaw had closed around his shoulder, the teeth piercing all the way through the flesh and actually scraping bone.

And it hurt like hell.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Sluagh was completely unfazed by the sword stuck in its side. It remained unfazed when Tanglewood leaped on its shoulders and stabbed his knife straight in the hinge of its jaw. The Puck had an expression of disgust and fear mixed with the determination on his features and he tried to use his knife as a lever to force the Sluagh's jaws open. The vice-like grip it had on Dante's shoulder though wasn't budging and in fact, it was only trying to become tighter. He felt the slow chewing action the jaws were trying to affect.

"_Aargh_! Troll-arsed… damnable dead thing!" Tanglewood cursed.

Dante grunted and jammed the gun in his hand into the Sluagh's temple. "Tangle, get off!"

He fired multiple rounds into the thing's skull just as the Puck jumped off the beast. The gunfire all but shattered the Sluagh's head. With a heave, Dante got the thing off, leaving about two broken teeth stuck in his shoulder. The Sluagh's head had broken into parts but they were loosely held together by that black, goopy substance lurking underneath. They made it look as if the thing's head was melting. More goop oozed out of the big cut in its side, along with a blackened rib that poked out.

The Sluagh advanced mindlessly towards him again and Dante opened fire at it. The bite on his shoulder was healing but it really _hurt_, as if the thing's teeth had something caustic to them. The bullets again tore through the Sluagh but it advanced unimpeded. He switched back to the sword and hit it hard enough to send it staggering backwards and tear off one of its arms at the elbow. The severed limb landed with a splat in a pile of goop.

The thing advanced again, its maw swinging open in a strange mechanical way. Dante understood now. The goop was animating this thing, the skin and shape was just a shell and this was a mindless, shambling kind of horror. The intact arm reached up to grab him but he backpedaled out its reach and brought the sword down, catching it on the shoulder and breaking the arm off. It was quite pointless though, because he now knew that his foe was the goop animating it.

"Will nothing stop this?! Usually removing the head kills a Sluagh!" Tanglewood groaned.

He seemed reluctant to get back close to the shambling thing, but Dante noticed it wasn't interested in the Puck anyway.

"Dumb thing is so choked up with demonic taint that it's getting riled up because it smells me," Dante commented. "I've seen something like this before," he added dryly.

_At least this thing ain't as big as Nightmare_, he thought to himself.

Something grabbed his ankle. He glanced down and saw the severed arm, still animated by goop, latching onto his ankle with a grip like a vice. He was practically standing in gunk, a mix of the demonic slime and dead and dissolving plant life and earth. The Sluagh was on him again, trying to bite down. The dislocated arm was flopping around and flailing, as if the thing was trying to move it but the damage done had rendered it useless.

A thing so mindless would be easy but it really had a devilish resilience – Dante smirked at himself for that pun. Another lunge from the Sluagh was deflected with a swing of the sword, tearing open the torso diagonally from the pelvis to just below the rib. For the first time, the Sluagh twitched. Dante saw the substance animating it shiver. He narrowed his eyes. He dodged another rush calmly and almost by way of experiment, he fired a shot squarely at the thing's chest, just under where the clavicle would be in a human.

It staggered backwards and its form thrashed. The hole left by Dante's bullet flooded with slime but Dante knew he was on to something. It was just going to require getting close. He pointed the gun at his leg and shot the clutching arm off, obliterating the wrist and freeing his leg. He stepped into the slime. The substance sprang to life and reached for him with grabby limbs like hands. It wrapped around his legs and started to climb upwards but Dante now had a proper target and he wasn't going to stop for anything. Even though his trousers the touch of the thing stung like nettles.

He wound his arm back and then swung hard, slicing right across the chest with the crack of ribs. The Sluagh thrashed backwards as a flood of goop exploded from its chest and spattered him. Dante forced his way forward even as the goop tried to slow him down and grabbed a protruding rib with his hand and yanked. It broke off with a sickening crack and a tearing noise, taking cured skin and muscles and bone with it, opening the hole in the chest wider. More goop poured out, spilling over his clothes and wrapping around his wrist.

Tanglewood seemed to realize what he was trying to do and leaped into the fray, jumping onto the Sluagh's shoulders and driving his knife into the head again, breaking up the still dangerous jaw with furious stabs. He wrapped his arm around as much of the head as he could and heaved backwards, almost standing on the still intact part of the Sluagh's back. He actually succeeded, with quite a bit of effort, to prevent the Sluagh from biting down on Dante's arms as he hacked and cut away furiously at the thing's chest, digging through the goop. The Sluagh snapped at air with an almost metallic clatter of teeth.

And then Dante saw his quarry and grinned. Fortunately, Tanglewod saw the way he wound back his arm again and let go of the Sluagh in a hurry, actually vanishing from the spot just as Dante stabbed forward. Despite his somewhat restricted movement due to the goop clinging to his legs, his blow had such force behind it that the Sluagh was knocked backwards as Dante charged forward. The Sluagh smashed against the thick trunk of a tree and uttered a piercing scream. Rebellion went almost straight through it and into the wood. Goop started to fall away revealing what Dante had pierced.

In the cavity of the chest, surrounded by the demonic taint that had flooded the shell of the Sluagh was a large eyeball, about twice the size of a basketball. It looked like it was made of glass and its surface was peppered with strange formations like veins. The pupil was a sickening yellow and when Dante had stabbed through it, it spurted more of that vile substance.

He twisted the sword slightly and with one decisive jerk of the arm he wrenched the thing out of the shell of the Sluagh, accompanied by a sickening sucking noise. The shell screeched and thrashed hard, spitting tainted ichor everywhere. The limbs in the goop that had clung to his legs clutched him tighter for a moment and then started to relax. He spun around and out of their grip and brought the sword down onto a large stone nearby, stabbing through the eye completely with a loud sound like shattering glass. The eye broke apart with a din and an echoing scream that hung in the air for a while after Dante had killed the thing.

The Sluagh crumbled to the ground and the core fell apart. The vile demonic goop lingered around for a bit and then started to dissolve with an angry hissing noise, evaporating quickly.

Dante twirled Rebellion calmly and sheathed it, then proceeded to beat some goop off his clothes and pull the teeth shards out of his shoulder.

"That was interesting," he muttered.

Tanglewood tentatively approached the carcass of the Sluagh and poked the remains gingerly with his knife. "More like alarming," he stated. "I have never seen a demon taint take a Sídhe so entirely. It is as well that the Sluagh are lesser creatures with not much power."

Dante ignored him. He flexed his bitten shoulder with a small rotation and then opened and closed his hand several times. Fighting in the Realm was… different. He had felt a 'resistance' of some kind. He couldn't put it in words exactly but it was a funny feeling whenever he put a little unnatural oomph in his swing or fired his guns with an extra little 'punch' on the side. Like the Realm resented him doing that and tried to block it off. Then again it kind of made sense; he'd fought in the Underworld itself and there his abilities flowed easier, probably because they were in their native element. The Realm, different than both the Underworld and the human world, was a completely alien environment.

"Forget about that, shouldn't we get going? You're the one who was losing his head about time earlier," he said pointedly.

Tanglewood started. "Oh. Oh, yes. We really should. We've wasted enough time here!" he blurted and wedged his knife in his sash again. "Come on, come on. We need transportation and the only thing I can really think of… well, I loathe it, actually but we don't really have any choice."

He started off and waved his hand at Dante to follow, rubbing his chin with the other.

Dante followed him with a huff and stuck his hands in his pockets. "What are you talking about?"

"_Ugh_. Well… it's going to entail striking a deal with some very fickle Sídhe. That's all I can think about that won't waste us a lot of time," Tangle replied. "If we're lucky and the locals are on good terms with the Seelie Court…"

Dante quirked an eyebrow. "Okay, you know what? I'm getting real tired of all this fairy terminology bullshit. What the hell is a court and what do they have to do with Tess missing? You mentioned something like that earlier."

Tanglewood actually stopped briefly and stared at him, amazed. Then he rolled his eyes and started walking through the wood again. He seemed to be calming down from the multiple disasters that seemed to be befalling his rescue mission.

"I forget you have no knowledge of the Realm. I apologize," he grumbled. "I don't expect you to care but you ought to know how things work. We aren't as feral and lawless as demons. Just let me get my bearings first. We must reach the town of Basilica—"

Dante blinked. "You guys have cities?"

Tanglewood looked at him incredulously. "Of course we do! I just said we're not like demons! Although… do not expect them to be anything quite like human cities. Now give me a moment – _don't_ move from here."

The Puck turned around and disappeared from sight, leaving Dante alone in the forest. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was concerned about Tess and every minute they wasted just fed his irritation. He listened. A tree creaked somewhere in the distance and a bird called from afar. He thought he could hear the trickle of water very far off but he wasn't certain, the leaves moving from the breeze were making it hard to discern.

Tanglewood reappeared with a small crack. "Right, I know where we are now. Not far from here is a small lake, that's what we want. Come on, this way," he urged, tugging at Dante's coat.

"What exactly did you do?"

"Climbed to the top a tree and got my bearings," Tangle said casually. "Come on."

He followed the Puck and soon they had left the wilderness and were walking on a kind of footpath that seemed to be very old, judging from all the ferns that were growing over it. They were much wider than any fern he'd ever seen, their leaves tinged with a strange azure pigmentation.

"Trying to explain the intricacies of the Realm will probably sail over your head, so I will keep my explanations simple," Tangle started. "Sídhe come in all shapes and sizes and one's position is judged by their power and their ancestry. There are the greater fey who are mostly human-shaped and of a similar size – I believe that much of human mythology tended to revolve around encounters with such fey… they do like to meddle with humans after all."

There was a small tinge of disdain in Tangle's voice when he said that. "The greater Sídhe are the most prominent players in the Realm. They have the most power and they are all members of our nobility."

"And what about you?"

Tangle scoffed. "Sídhe like me are just… well, we are the common people. We are the most plentiful but we do not have the power of the great fey. In a way I suppose you could say we are the closest to humans – but then again that would not be accurate," he shrugged. "Humans see Sídhe like me the most, if they ever see Sídhe in their lives. Some serve the great fey, but most just try to get by."

Then he frowned. "Not like the wild Sídhe – Sluagh are part of the wild Sídhe. They are the least intelligent of our kind. Then, of course, are the lesser fey – pixies and what humans usually refer to as 'fairies' – small winged fey. And there's also the elementals. They're numerous and cryptic, they don't like to associate with the rest of Sídhe-kind a lot. We avoid them quite a bit as well."

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "The greatest powers in the Realm are the two Courts. They're… my, it's very hard to try and explain this to someone who isn't a Sídhe – we're practically born knowing this stuff. Hmm, I suppose the best way to put it is to say that they're alliances between like-minded Sídhe. But, do not be tempted to label them 'good' and 'bad'. Those are entirely human concepts. They don't necessarily agree with our ideas."

Dante raised an eyebrow again. "Is that so?" he muttered. He had less trouble understanding _that_ concept than Tangle assumed.

"The Courts are ruled by royals. They are the most powerful Sídhe in the Realm. In the eyes of humans they might as well be gods, I suppose."

"You guys have kings and queens?" Dante chuckled.

Tangle gave him a sharp look, annoyed at his mocking. "Yes. The Seelie Court is ruled by the King and Queen – Oberon and his consort, Titania. The Seelie Court is populated by Sídhe who have a sense of honor and aren't so eager to cause harm. Some are even downright kind. We don't like chaos is the best way to put it, I suppose. Neither do we really have problems with humans – but that's not a given. While many Seelie generally tend to be neutral or benevolent towards humans and forgiving, there are lots of Seelie that have no qualms about causing trouble to humans for a laugh, but the intent is never malicious and rarely entails serious danger. Still… there are Seelie who don't really understand what effect their actions will have on humans or any other creature for that matter. Some of us can be very indifferent. But we _will_ repay insults and challenges tenfold."

"So you're a… Seelie?" Dante asked sheepishly.

Tanglewood puffed up with pride. "Yes. I was squire to Sir Guyon, a Sídhe Knight in service to the Queen. I was elated when he agreed to be my patron. He was a good and noble Sídhe and I was honored to be of service to him," he said and then his tone deflated. "For all the good I did him."

Dante fought back a wince. He'd forgotten that Tess had said Tanglewood's knight master had been killed by the Bargest. The Puck seemed to still mourn the loss in his own way. He was freaked out enough about what happened with Tess, there was no need to dredge up something painful.

"What about the other Court?" he asked smoothly.

Tanglewood's face clouded. "The Unseelie Court is another matter. Queen Mab is a cruel, spiteful and cold-hearted creature and so is most of her Court. Unseelie Sídhe are downright malicious, they care nothing for what harm they cause. They harm and even kill for pleasure, if they so fancy. They are – I think the term is for once, accurate – evil and fickle. Of course… nothing is definite. Like the Seelie can sometimes cause harm, once in a while an Unseelie might take a shine on some human and make them something of a pet. But that is rare and I can't say it's always beneficial to the human in question. While most Unseelie are content to ignore humans, quite a lot of them treat humans as nothing but rabble, things for their amusement. They will cause harm out of spite. They're cruel creatures."

"Bad fairies," Dante joked. "It's not even the strangest thing I've heard today. Is that all?"

Surprisingly, Tanglewood chuckled a little. "Well, there's also the independents… they are Sídhe who owe allegiance to neither Court. They're harder to really place. Some reject the power of the Courts entirely, others might keep balanced truces both and many just don't care."

He sighed. "That's the basics, at least. I'll explain anything else along the way. But I must tell you this: The two Courts and the independents exist on a delicate balance. We are very often on the cusp of war between different factions. Your arrival here may spark something, even unintentionally, and your conduct even more so."

Dante had a certain idea of what the Puck was driving at. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked carefully.

Tanglewood regarded him very seriously. "I should think you'd have guessed by now. You are of demon begetting. Demons are not welcome in the Realm. Outsiders from the human world are not particularly welcome, either. And you are fairly powerful, as I understand," he said seriously. "Do you not think that you might spark someone's interest or attract attention – attention you will not want? It is never a good thing to have too many eyes upon you in the Realm. You do not want to be drawn into the intricacies of the Courts."

Dante scoffed. "You got that right. The last thing I want is to get involved with a bunch of bickering fairies. I just want to get the Twig and get the hell out of here."

"Then I must ask you to control yourself," Tangle said coolly. "Miss Templar has mentioned that you take a foolish pleasure in challenges and insulting your opponents. I must beg you to try and restrain yourself in the Realm. If you anger either of the Courts, we will meet nothing but opposition and never find Miss Templar."

Dante shrugged. "I don't _start_ fights, Tinkerbell, I just finish what others start," he said with a smile. "If some overgrown fairy has a problem with me, well it's their funeral."

Tanglewood frowned at his answer but he dejectedly accepted it. "Just… take heed of my counsel now and then, please."

"Okay, exactly why have you gone from hysterical firecracker to this doom and gloom attitude?" Dante asked him sharply. "A while ago you couldn't stop hissing and spitting like a cat. Now you're begging me to be a good boy and practically letting me insult you. Not that I mind but it's just not fun."

Tangle stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Dante. His face was very grim. "Because there is more at stake than Miss Templar here. I have taken a great risk just bringing you here," he explained. "You are, in a way, my guest. I am vouching for your presence here. Even if we succeed and rescue Miss Templar, if my fellow Sídhe are displeased with your presence here, I may even die for it."

Dante paused and stared at Tangle with a hard look. "Wait… they'd _kill_ you?"

"Without mercy," was the cold reply.

Dante shifted his weight uneasily from one foot to the other and raised his arms in an indignant and amazed gesture. "Are you serious? You could _get killed_ because you brought me over to help? Because I might rankle some uptight fairy's sensibilities? That doesn't make sense!"

"It makes perfect sense for the Realm," Tangle replied without feeling.

Dante just stared and then clicked his tongue. "And you still went ahead with it. Damn. You got some balls for a fairy, Tangle, I'll give you that much."

Tanglewood said nothing but he appeared to be a little flattered by that comment. He turned around and they continued down the path once again. They moved in silence for a bit, then Tangle glanced at him curiously.

"By the by, why exactly do you refer to Miss Templar as 'Twig'? She is not frail," he observed. "Or made of plant matter."

Dante was a little surprised at that question. "'Cuz when I first met her she was as skinny as a twig. The name stuck."

Tangle frowned. "It's an odd name to address a friend by. I understood that by the standards of human judgment she is an attractive woman." He looked at Dante with a quirked eyebrow and a slightly confused expression. "You do not agree?"

Dante stared back at him in indignation and then, without quite realizing why, he looked away. What the hell kind of question was that!? And why was it making him uncomfortable?

"She's alright," he muttered. "Anyway, that's between me and her. How much further are we gonna trudge through this place before we can get something faster than our feet?"

Tanglewood appeared to sense his irritation and dropped the subject, but regarded him with a strange look. "Not much further, we're nearly at the water's edge."

Dante scowled. "How's a lake going to help?"

Tanglewood sighed. "We will have to speak with its denizens. The Naiads – water nymphs – that populate many water sources of the Realm may be our best chance right now. If we can persuade one to give us use of a _Nixie_—"

"A what?"

The Puck groaned patiently. "A Nixie. They are lesser water Sídhe. They are shapeshifters but one of their favored forms is that of a horse. If caught in that form they are excellent mounts. Many Nixies serve Naiads, therefore if we can strike a deal with a Naiad we can request use of a Nixie as a means of transport."

Dante laughed. "Is that right? A fairy water horse. Sure, I can roll with that," he chuckled. "Last horse I had to deal with tried to kill me. This can't be any worse."

"Naiads are very dangerous if angered," Tangle told him with alarm. "They are elemental Sídhe and have no mercy for those that insult them. Just… just let me do the talking, alright?"

Dante shrugged. "Knock yourself out."

The trees had finally parted and the small lake was in their sight. It seemed to be fed by a brook that came from the west and tumbled down a short cliff, covered in moss. The surface was dotted here and there with aquatic plant life, like lilypads and reeds. The twilight sky was reflected in the waters and gave it a brilliant sheen. It looked a peaceful enough lake with sandy banks and a long-dead tree spreading its barren branches from the middle of it. Tanglewood asked Dante to stay on the banks and Dante folded his arms with an irate expression and watched the Puck advance to the water's edge, stopping just as his boots touched the water.

He crouched down and retrieved a gold coin from somewhere in his vest, and dropped it into the water, then dunked his hand in and stirred.

"If I may, kindly ones, I wish to speak with the sovereigns of these waters," he said, while stirring. "I would like to enter a bargain."

Nothing happened for a long moment and Dante was just about to call to Tangle and ask him how much longer they were going to fool around when his eye caught movement in the lake. He narrowed his eyes and focused on it but saw nothing. He was almost convinced that his mind was playing tricks on him when he saw it again. Something was moving under the surface and it wasn't kelp or some other kind of submerged water plant. For a second he thought it might be some large fish but he had the distinct impression that someone was watching him, very closely.

He tensed unconsciously as the ripples on the water grew more frequent. He saw movement, something slinking in the depths. He saw the liquid movement of hair; the pale streak of a body moving under the water.

"Tangle—" he started.

The Puck stumbled back from the water. "This is not right," he blurted. "It's her. _She_ should not be here, not now!"

The water in the lake rippled again and Dante watched the water's edge swell outwards, as if the lake was growing out of its banks. It quickly reached the top of the bank and Dante took an uncertain step backwards to keep his feet out of the water. Tanglewood stumbled backwards again and looked like he was about to have a heart attack. The lake continued to swell outwards and by now there was water around Dante's ankles but he was rooted on the spot.

The water stirred. Dante saw the silvery flash of a body in the depths, the sway of kelp parting and the motion of long hair underwater. Slowly, the top of a head emerged from the water, crowned in wet hair of a shining green-black. Then a pale forehead and finally a face surfaced and stared at them.

"Oh no. No, no, no, not her," Tanglewood whimpered.

Dante couldn't take his eyes off whatever it was. "Tangle, what is that?"

The Puck made a strangled whimper. "It's the _Grande Dame_."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Dante just stared at the face that emerged from water. It was difficult to describe – it was female, that was all he was certain about, but he couldn't swear whether she was made of flesh or water or rock. Her skin was smooth and pale like the moon with an almost reflective quality like water. Her trailing hair was green-black, woven with kelp and water grass and aquatic flowers and a few jewels. She had the most beautiful face he'd ever seen but there was a frightening quality to it, both beautiful and utterly terrifying. Her eyes were solid blue like sapphires and her gaze was heavy-lidded, tender and endless, like a lake with no bottom. Her exquisite, coral lips unfolded a slow sensual smile and she fixed him with her gaze. She moved as though taking a step forward and a pair of pale, rounded shoulders surfaced, along with her neck, stately as a pillar and garlanded with jewels and kelp.

Tanglewood's frightened whimper broke the spell. "She is the Grande Dame. An old and powerful spirit – she is the mother of Naiads, she lords over the waters of the Realm—"

He suddenly grabbed Dante by the arm and looked at him with eyes bulging with fear. "In the name of anything you respect, Dante, please, I beg you, _do not_ anger her! Her waters feed the Realm and her anger would have terrible consequences!"

Dante glanced from Tanglewood to the water nymph emerging from the water and groaned quietly before he clenched his jaw. This whole thing had been one disaster after the other and it was wearing his patience thin.

The Grande Dame moved out of the water and closer to them until the water reached just under her waist. She was naked and she wanted them to see her, clad only in stray kelp clinging to her body and dark jewels adorned with stones. Her skin glistened with moisture and water seemed to trickle off her continually. Her hair, though wet and heavy with water, waved as though she was still submerged.

When she spoke Dante felt a strange pang of terror in his chest, mixed with a swell of pleasure; her voice was clear and crystal like a gentle caress.

"Who seeks me?"

Tanglewood saw no charm in her, he was terrified and halfway hiding behind Dante's coat. "Merely a Puck, my lady, and my guest. We… we should like to enter a deal with you, if it pleases you, my lady," he said with a tremulous voice.

She blinked slowly and her smile grew wider, but she never took her eyes off Dante. "And what is it you want of me, Puck?"

Tanglewood sounded like he was doing his best to keep his fear in check. "If it would please you to lend us use of a Nixie, my lady. We have need of the swiftest of steeds and nothing is as swift in the Realm as the hooves of a Nixie."

She was silent for a long moment. She tilted her head to the side slightly, ever smiling. She kept looking at Dante and he found that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Her gaze was just magnetic and for a moment he felt like a rabbit captivated by the eyes of a snake.

"Is that so?"

He had no idea when he actually walked towards her. He just knew she was beckoning him to get closer and his body had moved forward without him even realizing. It just happened. Before he knew it, he had moved close to her, wading into the water which was cool and almost silky. He had met demon enchantresses before but nothing like this. The Grande Dame somehow made his head fuzzy in a way nothing ever had and all he really knew was that he was moving until he was half submerged in the water in front of her. He became a spectator in his own skin.

He thought Tanglewood was shouting from the bank but somehow he couldn't pay attention.

"Is that what you want, knight?" she said to him.

Her hand came up, lily-white and delicate, and brushed his cheek with her fingertips. Her touch was like velvet and refreshingly cool. Dante couldn't talk, he just stared at the water goddess in front of him and his mind just fell apart. A tiny part of him was still there, shouting indignantly and wondering what the hell was happening to him and why couldn't he snap out of it.

"Yes," he heard himself say.

She leaned closer to him and he smelled flowing water, wet stones and the sweet scent of earth after rain. She raised her other arm and draped it on his shoulder. She caressed his hair and cheek and just stared at him with a soft gaze and a sphinx-like smile.

"What you ask is no mean request," she said lightly. "A bold request for an outlander, my little knight. Why do you need a Nixie?"

Dante felt light-headed. He was in control of his faculties, he could've moved away from her but he just didn't really want to. The water was cool and pleasant and her caresses were delicate and innocent; she moved closer, leaning into him and her closeness was almost unbearable. He had never fallen for this behavior from demonic seductresses, not even the formidable Nevan. This was another thing, entirely. Why was this water nymph getting to his head? From somewhere in the addled mire of his brain, a memory was dredged up of Tess talking about the powers of the Sídhe to charm and seduce.

"To find… a friend," he heard himself mutter.

When on earth had he put his arms around her?

Her skin was velvet soft and cool. She nuzzled up to him and again caressed his cheek with her tender hand. Her smile had widened and her face was awfully close, he could feel her breath on his lips, like rushing water. "I see. And if I were to grant this request, knight, what would be my gain?"

"Depends on what you want," he said.

Her smile changed. It grew somehow...frightening but also enthralling, soft and yet hard. She brushed his lips with her thumb and he tasted clear water. "I will consent to the bargain… if you will pledge yourself to me," she purred. "For I think I should like for myself a handsome knight of your bearing. Your heritage matters not."

Dante knew exactly what she was driving at and part of his addled brain wanted to say yes, give in to those gentle caresses and those coral lips and that sensuous body pressed against his. But in the pit of his stomach something uncoiled and he snapped back in control. He blinked a couple of times and his sight cleared. He heard Tanglewood's screaming from the shore, pleads to get out of the water. He realized that he was in the water up to his goddamn chest. He pulled his hands off her and took a step backwards.

Her smile melted and she stared at him.

"Heh, as flattering as that is… the answer's gotta be no," he said and back-stepped further. Her hands sliding away were both relief and torment. "I'm in a bit of a hurry-"

Before he could add some clever quip, he felt the water around him turn ice cold and dark and hold him like a physical grip. He couldn't move! That shard of fear that had buried itself into his chest earlier dug deep again, because the Grand Dame was no longer smiling. Her lips were drawn thin and her expression had clouded. The blue sapphires were now storms. Her hair waved in the water like snakes. She didn't frown, her face did not contort from emotion but he knew it, in his bones, that he had done exactly what Tanglewood had begged him not to.

He'd made the water nymph _angry_.

Now the Grande Dame's appearance reflected her true nature, deserving of her name: Beautiful and terrible, ancient, powerful and _merciless_. Now her voice was hard, steely and carrying her age and power. It was whispered right in his ear and echoed from the water around him at the same time.

"No. You are in _my_ domain now. I already own you."

The water claimed him. He was hoisted off his feet by a current he could never hope to fight and pulled under. The water was cold and dark under the wasting light. The surface seemed miles away. She was there, her arms wrapped around his chest from the back, tenderly, gently and yet he knew he could never pry them off as she pulled him down to the furthest bottom of her domain. He struggled, he tried to force her arms off him, to get back, get out of the water but he just knew it in his gut it was too late.

Tanglewood had talked about the Realm having rules and he had to obey them just like he had to obey gravity.

She swam around him, dancing in the water, a white specter of delight and death. He was in her domain indeed. She circled him like smoke, just watching him sink. His limbs felt like lead and try as he might, he couldn't move. He put all his will into moving, to kick his feet and reach the surface but all he managed was weak twitches. Weakness! How did this happen? He, who felled demons too big for the world, to be unable to move himself! He felt strange; that tightening of the chest, lungs burning and bursting for air.

Drowning. He was _drowning_.

Dante was familiar with the sensation, but it was so long ago he had almost forgotten how it felt. He knew it once, in a time before his demonic powers had advanced far enough to sustain him for long without air, before he had learned to fight underwater. Why was he suddenly drowning like a helpless human being?

The Grande Dame flitted past his field of vision. Her merciless, tender gaze met his and he knew. It was her doing. _She_ was drowning him. His chest hurt and he knew it was evident in his face. He didn't mean to, but suddenly he choked and the resulting spasm made him open his mouth and a stream of bubbles escaped him, robbing him of a little precious air. She wafted in front of him, regal and exacting and then reached out and caressed him again, helpless as he was.

Her hands cupped his face, brushed his hair and soothed him. He found relief when she did – she was cruelly playing with him, drowning and saving him at her whim. This was her idea of a pledge; this was her ownership, a cruel kind of mastery and dependence that honestly made what demon enchantresses were after a more appealing alternative. She didn't want to outright destroy him; she just wanted him to be at her mercy, constantly, to depend on her for his life. She smiled – the cold, stately smile of a queen who controls her subject – and let go of him, drifting away lightly and he was drowning again.

Dante's entire being rebelled, angry and burning at this humiliation, this idiocy he had plunged himself into. He gritted his teeth and fought against the hold, fought against the water and the feeling of drowning. It was funny, the things this sensation was making him think about. He'd nearly drowned once before. This familiar sensation coming back after so many years of being absent triggered a memory in his addled brain.

A hand grabbing his and two green lakes instead of the blue storms in the eyes of the Grande Dame.

_She saved me from drowning then. She's doing it again and she's not even here. _

The nymph saw the shift. The way his face relaxed. She wasn't pleased. She reached out at him again, cupped his face in her velvet hands, the water turned from a cage into a caress and she turned from an exacting tyrant to a tender lover. She leaned in, all loveliness and tenderness. But he felt what she was doing, the hooks she put into his head. She was rummaging around his brain to try and find the switch that would make him compliant. Her lips brushed his and for a tiny second there his whole being was suspended between mind-numbing pleasure and heart-stopping terror. She wanted to fill his head with herself. A cold, creeping feeling was worming its way into his chest.

He thought of the hand that had grabbed him and pulled him to the surface, more than ten years ago. It was a harsh and burning but all too real hand; a hand that did not let go.

And suddenly the Grand Dame reeled back, her eyes wide and astonished, her face fixed in a mask of puzzlement and indignation. She grabbed his wrist in a painful hold and the next thing he knew he was being hurled out of the water like a ragdoll. He gasped, gulping down air greedily, even as he knew he was about to crash.

He hit the sand bank with a hollow thud, back first and then tumbled to a stop, digging into the sand. He slumped there with a weak but triumphant groan. His chest heaved and he coughed up water. He felt sick and turned over, emptying his stomach and lungs of an inordinate amount of water. His breathing came in gasps.

Tanglewood was by his side suddenly, grabbing a handful of his hair and lifting his face. His voice had grown hoarse with shouting. "Dante! Oberon's breeches, can you hear me!? Can you speak?"

"I'm fine," Dante blurted and retched up some more water.

"Fine?! Hardly! Look!"

The Puck seized Dante's left arm and lifted back the coat sleeve. Where the Grande Dame had grabbed his wrist before throwing him out of the water, the skin was blackened like a bruise, forming a clear and perfect outline of her hand's grip on his skin.

"The hell did she do?" Dante asked, standing up and shaking water out of his hair.

"Entered a bargain with you," Tangle said. "She's agreed to lend us the Nixie – but what are her terms?"

Dante's blood ran cold. That was a very good question. He turned around and stared back at the lake. She was there, half submerged. She deigned to show only the upper part of her face now and her gaze was no longer tender or even amicable. She looked both angry and yet amused. Dante got the shrewd impression that she was mocking him.

When she spoke again her voice did indeed have a sneering attitude. "I never comprehend humans. You have such small and selfish hearts that are unworthy of the love of my kind. So small and yet they burn so much. Whatever do you do with them? I wonder."

She blinked slowly and fixed him with her gaze. "Take my Nixie. I will bridle him for your use. But I warn you, knight. Do not set foot in my waters again, or I _will_ claim you. You will have to ransom yourself from me, little knight, and the price will be steep."

Then she laughed. It was a low but cruel chuckle that would've frozen the marrow in a human's bones. She disappeared into her waters silently with a parting shot that Dante had no idea what to make of: "I hope your friend is quite worth it."

Moments after she was gone, the waters rippled again and the large head of a massive, magnificent horse parted the water as the animal made its way out of the lake in a leisurely pace. It was a large horse with the robust build of a heavy war horse; it had a muscular body, powerful hindquarters and large hooves hidden under thick feathering. The destrier was a handsome blue roan with an almost black, flowing mane and tail. It bore a bridle that looked like it was made of pale coral.

The horse stopped just short of him, threw its head back and nickered.

Tanglewood tilted his head. "Truly?"

Dante stared at him, unaware what he was replying to.

The horse then bobbed its head and snorted.

"You understand what it's saying?" Dante asked incredulously.

Tanglewood blinked at him, then looked at the horse and then him and cackled. "You don't? Oh, I see. That's quite hilarious, actually."

Dante glared at him. "What is?"

"The Nixie doesn't wish to speak to you," he said with a grin. "He introduced himself to me but apparently cares little to speak to you."

"Hold on, how does that work?" Dante scoffed.

"You didn't think we all speak the human language here, did you?" Tangle said smugly. "No, we will ourselves to be understood by humans. If we do not wish to be understood, we will not be. You'll get used to it. Anyway, he says his name is Cold Day and he wishes you to know he will not answer to anything else. But otherwise he will take us where we must go."

Then he eyeballed Dante cautiously. "You… do know how to ride a horse, don't you?"

Dante rolled his eyes. "I'll figure it out," he grumbled.

The Nixie, Cold Day, snorted.

Dante gathered the reins. "I don't care to know if he's laughing."

He grabbed onto the mane and jumped, hoisting himself up onto the animal's back easily and swung his leg over, to end up comfortably seated, bareback, on the Nixie. Cold Day had patiently borne this with just a small shuffle of the feet. Dante quirked an eyebrow. Having such a huge animal between his legs like this was weird, but not completely unpleasant. He had never ridden a horse before but he could sense that Cold Day's muscles were bunched up like springs and the horse's nervous twitches were saying it was ready to have the devil ridden out of it.

So to speak.

Tanglewood materialized behind him, standing on the horse's hindquarters. He leaned forward and rested his hands on Dante's shoulders. "We better get going. It will be deep night soon and it's better if we are not in the wildwoods then. By the way, I hope you understand what the mark you now have on you means."

Dante fumbled for a moment to get the Nixie going but with Tangle's patient directions he eventually squeezed his legs gently against the Nixie's sides, sending the animal into a brisk canter. The Nixie had a smooth, easy gait that was actually quite comfortable and even a little exciting.

"I have a rough idea," Dante admitted, staring at the mark left by the Grande Dame. "She said if I step into any water she owns—"

"She does have the right and the power to drag you away to its depths," Tangle said with a scowl. He still stood behind Dante and did not seem to be suffering any jolts at all, as if he was standing on air rather than the bouncing backside of a massive horse. "This is dangerous, you know. The Grande Dame commands a great deal of water throughout the Realm. You must be careful. If she catches you again, she will claim you. Your power will have no meaning against the rules of the Realm."

Dante frowned. "What did she mean when she said I'll have to ransom myself?"

Tangle breathed out. "That is our one hope to get you out of this bind. Water nymphs will usually accept gifts such as treasures and wealth in exchange for freeing someone of their pledge. Otherwise, they may have some request for you – and mind you, you will not be able to put it off or refuse to do it, no matter what it is. And I'm afraid that mere pretty baubles will not suffice to please the Grande Dame."

"Brilliant," Dante growled.

Soon the woods started to thin out and Dante noticed bright orbs of light flitting through the trees, along with the swish of wings through the trees.

"Eh, just lantern sprites," Tanglewood commented. "Will-o-the-wisp, otherwise. Ignore them. You know, I think you can put the spurs to him now, the trees have parted. I would really hang on if I were you."

Dante relaxed the reins a bit and tapped Cold Day with the heel of his foot. The Nixie's gait changed and before Dante knew it, they were careening down the wider path. Dante felt a grin spreading on his face; the Nixie was galloping at leisure, thundering hooves just eating the distance. He could feel the excitement of the Nixie as it gathered momentum, the muscles tightening and the head stretching ahead to cut through the air.

_I could get used to this._

* * *

><p><em>Author's note: Did I have a little too much fun putting Dante through the ringer and almost drowning him? <em>

_You bet your pants, I did. _


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dante marveled at the stamina of the Nixie. Cold Day kept up a consistent gallop throughout the night. The forest of Ardenverre felt endless. Although the trees had grown less dense and the forest had transitioned from mostly pine to a mixed wood, Dante couldn't see an end to the trees and wondered if the Realm was just a gigantic forest. By the time the sun was up again, through the canopy of trees overhead, they were still riding down a dilapidated road that had fallen apart to such a degree that it was more beaten dirt than cobblestone. Tanglewood had instructed Cold Day to head for a particular settlement, where he had contacts that could help them locate Tess.

They crossed into large clearings a few times, long stretches of tall grass surrounded by trees. In some of them they even encountered what looked like farmland, fields of some kind of climbing vine, not unlike grapevines. Their leaves were golden brown and they bore some heavy fruit that Dante couldn't identify. A couple of times Dante had spotted figures working among the rows of vines. He'd seen more figures in the woods. He never got good looks at them but some reminded him of Tanglewood; others were taller, some distinctly not human. A few were beastlike.

"Hey Tangle," he said after seeing something he was pretty sure would be described as an ogre. "You Sídhe have nothing to do with 'fairies' written in books, right? What's the deal with that?"

Tangle had alternated between standing on Cold Days' flank, sitting down on it leisurely and randomly appearing ahead to do some scouting. He scoffed. "It is a matter of perception," he said lightly. "As I understand, humans have entertained many myths about Sídhe. There was a time when they had a closer association with us. Some of us like to meddle with humans more than others and humans don't always understand what they see. I assume the same applies to demons."

"Huh, yeah, I guess," Dante muttered.

"Does it bother you?" Tangle asked.

"Just not what I imagined when I hear 'fairies', that's all," he scoffed. "Though I'll admit, suits me right. You mentioned water nymphs and I thought of naked girls splashing around. Not your Grande Dame lady."

"As I said, perception. I hope you appreciate the kind of danger Miss Templar is in, now," the Puck sighed.

Dante scowled. "Which reminds me, I still want to kick your scrawny ass for _ditching_ her here!"

He heard Tanglewood gulp audibly. "I had no choice! You think I'm happy?! Anyway, Miss Templar is not in immediate danger – she is far too capable to have been harmed by a few demons or even any random Sídhe! No, it's not her well-being I worry for! But humans are not safe in the Realm. There are…_ other_ dangers."

Dante was about to demand to be told what he meant when Tangle practically leaped up and pressed his hands on Dante's shoulders again, then pointed ahead of them to a massive tree that stood tall above the canopy.

"Ah, look! We are nearing the Basilica settlement. That tree is called the Basilica. Finally! If I have any deserved faith in my contacts, we ought to have some– _Aaugh!_"

An arrow zipped right past Dante's ear from behind and over the sound of Cold Day's hoofbeats he heard the snarling of dogs and shrill, high pitched voices. Dante looked over his shoulder and grumbled. A pack of wolf-like creatures, the size of small ponies, were rushing through the trees in pursuit of them. They were heavily-built, with deep, barrel chests, shaggy brown fur and bigger jaws and teeth than any animal has right to claim. They easily rushed through the forest, tongues rolled out and jaws frothing in delighted frenzy.

Riding those hell puppies were thin humanoids, a little bigger than Tanglewood. Their skin was dirty brown, making them appear almost as one with their mounts and they had gaunt, pointed faces and short tusks protruding from their fleshy lips. Some of them sported short horns and all of them had bulging yellowish eyes. They all had rope-like, dirty long hair gathered in haphazard bunches and they were dressed in similar black leather armor and had painted black streaks all over their bare arms, legs and faces. Most of them carried crossbows, all of them had some form of spear or short sword and a few were large enough to carry something that looked like a rifle. They all screamed delirious war cries in the same high-pitched tone.

"Lemmie guess; goblins?" Dante snarked.

"On the mark!" Tanglewood grumbled. "They're warg riders – and I know these ones, they're filthy Unseelie raiders. Call themselves the Black Pack – unimaginative cur! They're supposed to be independent renegades but anyone with half a brain-cell knows they work for the Unseelie Court, running around causing nothing but havoc!"

Then he gasped and vanished from behind Dante and an arrow embedded itself on his shoulder. Another hit Cold Day on the flank, making the Nixie whinny and throw his head back, nearly smacking Dante in the face. Dante clicked his tongue and gripped the reins tighter, urging the Nixie to keep running as more arrows flew in his direction. Their size made them relatively harmless to Dante but he was in no mood to sit there and get struck by arrows – nor did he feel like letting Cold Day suffer any more than the flesh wound he'd sustained.

Tanglewood appeared again behind him, this time with his bow drawn. "Curses! I bet they're after the Nixie! Gift-wrapped for their Unseelie ringleaders, no doubt!"

He stood on Cold Day's bouncing hindquarters – again, the Puck's capacity for perfect balance on so bumpy a ride impressed even Dante – and let loose an arrow that found a goblin in the neck. The Sídhe let a strangled cry and was knocked off the warg he rode, just to get trampled by another following. The warg did not slow down; on the contrary, without a rider to burden it, the animal seemed to speed up.

"Well, if they want a piece of us, they'll get some," Dante muttered and actually pulled on the reins to slow the Nixie down just a bit. Then he let go of the reins and drew his guns, twirling them with a slightly gleeful little grin. "I'm actually gonna live out some cowboys and Indians fantasies here, heh-heh-heh!"

"I heartily agree," Tanglewood said in the same tone, nocking another arrow.

He shot down another goblin but for his part, Dante waited until the wargs flanked them on either side and started to close in. Arrows from crossbows still flew in his direction, one embedding in his arm but Dante just grinned. He pointed his guns on either side of him and opened fire. In one shot, the entire head of a goblin was vaporized from the force of the gun. On the other side, a warg went down when a bullet all but tore its head off. The animal tumbled and with its bulk and momentum crushed its rider under its weight.

The goblins began to drop like flies from the gunshots on either side of them and Tanglewood stood like a champ and felled quite a few goblins himself with his bow. But he ducked out of the way when Dante rotated his torso, while still seated, and pointed Ebony straight behind him, firing a couple of Parthian shots that took out several wargs and goblins in a very short time.

"Ah! There! Sir, him, the hobgoblin!" Tangle snapped, while practically hanging off Cold Day's mane. "On the alpha! 'Ware!"

Dante looked over and smiled wider. Flitting through the densest trees, a larger animal was occasionally visible till it burst out of the underbrush. It was a particularly large and shaggy warg with a dark black stripe along its back that contrasted its ruddy fur. On it rode a much larger creature. It looked physically like the other goblins but it was about the size of a man, with long, muscular arms, a flat face with two nostril slits and narrow, shrewd eyes. Scars covered its bare face and its lipless mouth was twisted just enough to bare needle-like teeth – despite its bestial appearance it gave an impression of intense concentration. It wore ticker armor and actually wielded a nasty-looking curved and serrated blade that forcibly reminded Dante of a scimitar.

The alpha warg was big enough to have quite the impressive stride, and it wasn't long before it caught up with the Nixie. Dante could hear its short, sharp breaths and the thud of its massive paws onto the ground – heck, he could smell the stench of canine pelt and the carrion in its breath. Cold Day seemed extremely averse to the awful thing catching up to him and neighed sharply, flattening his ears. Dante had turned away to shoot down a couple of other goblins that were getting too close and seemed to not have heard the approach of the bigger Sídhe.

Just as the wicked creature leaped off the warg in an impressive pounce that had aimed the tip of the serrated blade for Dante's back, the devil hunter turned. He pointed both guns at the foolish Sídhe, his hands crackling with a reddish power.

"Ooh, bad idea," Dante muttered and pulled the triggers.

A barrage of demon-charged shots slammed into the hobgoblin, blowing fist-sized holes into its armor and obliterating much of its head – the shots had such force that they knocked back the sizeable creature from midair, blowing it back with every shot that hit it. By the time the body hit the ground and tumbled away it was almost blown to pieces. Dante holstered the guns quickly and in the same fluid move drew his sword. The alpha warg, upon seeing its master felled, snarled and in a frenzy rushed forward and leaped for the Nixie's neck, maws spread and ready to crush and rend.

Inches from Cold Day's neck, Dante's Rebellion came down and severed the warg's head cleanly off. The head went flying and struck a tree with an ugly crunch while the body tumbled along the ground lifelessly.

"Tangle, have a look at Day, one of the little freaks hit him," Dante said dryly and sheathed his sword. He drew one of the guns to pick off the last few goblins that were regrouping but seemed more intent on escape than pursuing them further.

The forest path behind them was littered with corpses and by the time they cantered up to the massive tree, the goblins were long gone. Dante stared at the structure ahead of him; a series of structures were built on the tree – almost growing out of the gnarled trunk of the largest tree he'd ever seen in his life, an obviously ancient giant that looked a lot like an oak tree. A larger house was built into the upper branches. The roots of the tree were enormous, bursting out of the ground in places and acted as support for more small structures. The roots reached a small water reservoir that glittered under the sun and probably fed this leviathan. Many of the structures were covered in ivy or moss and the ones built higher above the ground were connected with narrow walkways made of wood and rope.

The place seemed to be populated by fairly small-sized Sídhe, similar to Tanglewood. Some appeared to be shorter and made of clay, others looked like dolls make of plant matter. Dante saw some of them leaning out of windows and others standing on the walkways to watch them. When he slid off Cold Day's back, he felt like a Clint Eastwood character entering a desolate western town. The Sídhe there observed him for quite a long time and he felt a prickling feeling down his back. Given how much Tangle said Sídhe disliked demons, he wouldn't be surprised if they were just not very happy to see him there – no doubt they had seen his little display on his way in.

And he still had a couple of arrows stuck to his back and arm.

"The goblin arrow only caused a flesh wound," Tanglewood said after inspecting Cold Day's flank. "Pull it out gently and then let him go to the water. Nixies need to return to water fairly frequently to replenish their strength, anyway. He will be fine in a bit."

Dante shrugged and carefully tried to pull the arrow out. It wasn't embedded all that deeply and the Nixie held very still as he pulled it out, only neighing sharply when the crude arrow tore a bit of flesh on its way out. Almost mechanically, Dante favored the Nixie with a gentle thump on his great neck before letting go of the reins. Cold Day bobbed his head affably and sauntered towards the water reservoir.

"So now what?" Dante asked Tangle, pulling the arrows out of his own flesh.

"Well, I suggest we keep our head low and get out of the people's way," he replied thoughtfully. "These Sídhe won't object to our stopping here but they won't be pleased if we linger too long. The greater Sídhe who lives here is something of a recluse and does not like to be disturbed. My kin will be around here."

He rubbed his forehead and started off. "Follow me; I can at least secure us some peace and quiet for a bit."

Amazingly, Dante appreciated that idea. The Sluagh, getting nearly drowned by the Grande Dame, riding hell for leather through the night and then gunning down two dozen goblins had actually brought exhaustion upon him. It bothered him, because he knew this was well within his usual exertions and he shouldn't be this tired. He thought back to the Sluagh. The 'resistance' he had felt when fighting then had persisted up till now. Maybe that was to blame. He glanced up. He had trouble deciphering the sky in this realm. It looked like the blue sky he was familiar with but it was deeper and darker, almost like perpetual twilight.

He smelled rain in the air.

Apparently his eradication of the goblins didn't go entirely ungrateful, because Tangle got them a fairly comfortable spot out of the way of the Sídhe living in the town, in the covered porch of what passed for a pub in the Realm, at the roots of the tree, facing the reservoir. As it started to pour with rain, Dante leaned against the wall, folded his arms and crossed his legs thoughtfully. He was too restless to sit.

Tangle suddenly held a pitcher up to him – well, it was a pitcher to Tangle, but about the size of a fairly big beer mug to Dante – with an amber liquid. "Here. Matron's thanks for killing the goblins."

Dante sheepishly accepted it and Tangle hoisted himself up on a nearby log with a smaller mug of the same. "Just drink it, it's only cider. I can tell you are tired and after dealing with the Grande Dame it'll do you good."

Dante glanced at him chugging down his drink and he took a tentative sip. He blinked at the drink. Surprisingly revitalizing. He had no qualms about downing the rest while watching Cold Day, up to his withers in the water, lazing around in the reservoir in the rain.

"Tanglewood! You good for nothing, itchy pus-filled boil on an ogre's arse, you!" a girlish voice shrieked.

Tanglewood nearly choked on his cider. "Oh my virgin ears," he said sarcastically. "And I'd hope she'd have tripped and died already. Oh well. At least she did what I told her to, bloody woman."

He put his mug down on a table on the porch just as a small-sized fury stormed into the covered porch, made a beeline for the Puck and socked him one on the jaw. She was Tanglewood's size, only a bit taller and a bit more filled out, dressed in flamboyant green and amber short robes and tights, apparently made of leaves and the same gossamer-like material as Tangle's shirt, and ornaments made of leaf-shaped gold. She had a shock of short green hair with apple blossoms growing out of them and a very sharp little face similar to Tangle's, just scrunched up in anger. She too had a pair of long knives much like Tangle's, stuck in her belt.

Dante watched the little fury menace Tanglewood with evident amusement, sipping away at his cider. Listening to them threatened to send him into laughter.

Tanglewood stumbled from the blow but recovered and just stood his ground against the other Puck who looked like she was raring to deck him again.

"Yes, greetings to you too, my dear sister," he said dryly. "How fares the troupe?"

She folded her arms and wrinkled her little, turned-up nose at him. "Better without your worthless butt around," she snapped. "None of your business what we do, Tangle. You don't care about our hunts or our stalks. Too busy trying to play Squire to some washed-up Seelie knight!"

Dante watched with interest as Tangle just scowled terribly but bore the insults with a stony gaze. "That's as well, Applewood. I have no master anymore," he said frostily.

She paused and glared at him and Dante noticed a twitch at the edge of her mouth. She seemed to be on the edge of saying something. Then she glared imperiously at Dante. "And what's this big lummox, then? Gallivanting with humans now? Oh, hang on a tick!"

Applewood shoved past Tangle and approached Dante cautiously, eyeballing him very carefully and then she actually sniffed a little in his general direction. She recoiled.

"Tanglewood, have you taken leave of every last bit of sense that you had left!?" she shrieked. "He's a bally _field-blood_!" she said and back-stepped with an expression of high alarm.

"How perceptive of you, Apple," Tangle snarked. "Yes, he is. And that is my business. He is a friend of Miss Templar. Speaking of whom, did you do as I asked you?"

But Applewood wasn't having it. She glared from Dante to Tangle and then swatted him harshly across the shoulders. "Oh! Sure! Because this is better! Cavorting with fiend-bloods and getting your scrawny little arse in trouble! Perfectly reasonable! Da always said you were crackers."

Dante snorted. Despite her abusive language, he got the feeling that this Applewood girl was truly worried about her brother's well-being.

"Oh don't _you_ laugh, you big-headed lump!" she snapped at him. "You're only going to get my moronic brother killed! And I know just what you two logheads are going to get yourselves into!"

Tanglewood threw his arms up. "And finally! She comes to the point!" he snarled. "Out with it, harridan."

He dodged the swipe she directed at him. She glared at him but then huffed, folded her arms and put on a truly formidable scowl. "So you know what happened in Cath Bower, yes? That shite you were so eager to get your head into. With the human babe? Well, tough shite little brother, that's done and buried."

Tanglewood cringed. "The child…?"

"Tithed. It closed the ripple. If the world's got any mercy it'll be dead by now," Applewood said cynically. "You were right though. _Malecasta_ business."

The name made Tanglewood bristle. "Them!? Oh I knew it!" He tugged at his own hair and then glanced at Dante. "The Malecasta are a schismatic faction of the Unseelie Court. Most of 'em come from the Court's ranks but they gave up being part of it."

Applewood sneered. "And instead of just harassing humans for fun, they feel like wipin' them all out in one go. Something about inferiority. But what they're up to is anyone's guess. And mind you, Tangle, I'm willing to bet it's _their_ little schemes causing all the ripples tearing open all over the bally place."

"Yes, but what about that specific ripple?"

"The 'Lady' Acrasia," Applewood said with a grimace. "I'll tell you what, Tangle, I heard that human friend of yours was a right love, she did that chokeweed in with prejudice," she added with a smirk. "Burned her priggish arse like a cinder block!"

Dante breathed out. Yeah, blowing up evil fairies sounded right up Tess' alley. That was the only thing that reassured him, that she'd go down fighting and if he knew her at all, she would probably leave a large amount of burn damage behind. "So do you know where she is?" he asked Applewood calmly.

She probably detected the underlying impatience in his tone because she jumped a little when he addressed her, fingering her knives nervously. "Well… not exactly. You see, I found out that after she did Acrasia in, she wasn't too good. Happens to humans who hang around the Realm too long – and she'd exhausted herself fighting. But all's I know for sure is that Kabalsh's troupe caught her."

Tanglewood started. "No! Burn that Kobold! Hasn't anyone killed him yet!?"

"What do you mean, 'caught'?" Dante asked sharply.

"Kabalsh is a slave trader. The whole lot of them is bad but he's one of the worst. He's got a very big troupe working for him," Applewood said hotly. "I'm glad to say she felled quite a lot of his cronies before they bound her up. They carried her off, is what I heard. But for all it's worth, this is good news."

Dante pushed off the wall and balled his fists, a very dangerous anger bubbling up in his chest. "Good?! You call getting caught by slave traders _good_!?" he snapped. "You people have a slave trade! How do you even know she's still alive?"

Applewood took a big step backwards and away from Dante, glaring at him with a frightened and angry look and actually whipped out her knives defensively.

"No, no, she's quite right, Dante!" Tanglewood blurted, jumping between them. "Yes, slavery does indeed exist in the Realm but you are hardly here about our social dynamics! This _is_ good, because wiccans and changelings both carry a high value for slave traders. As Miss Templar is _both_, it practically ensures her survival! She is much, _much_ more valuable to the slave traders alive than she is dead!"

"That's right," Applewood said tremulously. "Wasn't hard for them to find a buyer, either. Obviously, it was a noble; only they've got the dosh for such a trade and there was quite a stir made about it, so it wasn't hard to find that out – the problem is I dunno _who_ it was."

"Huh?! Why?!" Tanglewood blurted.

Applewood put her knives away and rubbed the back of her neck. "Because Kabalsh and his troupe were all murdered," she said flatly. "You got your wish – they were _burned_. It looked like Salamander business, too. So there was nothing more to be found from them."

Tanglewood stared. "What?" he asked flatly.

"Salamanders," Applewood repeated. "I don't know what Salamanders would want with Kabalsh and his troupe but—"

"Oh this is a disaster!" Tanglewood groaned.

"Hang on, Salamanders?" Dante blurted. "I've heard that before. That's what Tess' old man was called sometimes. The Salamander. What is that?"

"Oberon's breeches, doesn't he know anything!?" Applewood snapped. "The Salamanders are fire elementals. They're powerful Sídhe who side with nobody and hate everyone equally. Most of them are a very bad lot and the rest don't care."

"And Miss Templar's father was a Salamander changeling!" Tangle interrupted. "That must be it, the Salamander clans must have sensed her in the Realm and they're trying to claim her as part of their tribe – and that isn't good!"

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't it be good?"

"Salamanders are violent," Applewood answered. "They're some of the nastiest of the elemental Sídhe. They may not want your friend for good reason. So, if you're really insistent on getting her, I suggest you conduct yourself over to the marketplace she was last seen in, The Place of Free Words and look for the dealer who sold her. They should be able to tell you who bought her – and believe me, they'll remember. A witch with Sídhe blood would be memorable."

"Yes!" Tanglewood exclaimed. "We've dawdled here enough. I know where that market is, we shouldn't take long to get there. I'll get Cold Day—"

"Hold it! Why do _you_ have to go?! You brought him over to fix this, didn't you?" Applewood snapped, gesturing at Dante. "What business is it of yours?" she added, grabbing Tanglewood by the arm.

He wrenched it away. "I _caused_ it, that's what it is!" he barked. "You and Da and everyone can repeat 'who cares' till they drop dead, but I won't! _I_ care about what my mistakes cause!"

She backed off and held her arms up. "Fine. _Fine_. Go on then, do whatever you want, bally idiot. You never listen," she grumbled and suddenly swatted his head. Then her frown relaxed. "For what it's worth… I am sorry for Sir Guyon."

Tanglewood just stared at her stiffly. "So am I," he muttered. "Don't tell anyone what I'm up to."

"Won't bother. And you better watch your back, little brother. I don't want to have to go home to Da and tell him that you've gone and bought it because you were a stupid idiot!" she hissed, then glared at Dante. "Don't get him killed! Or I'll find you sleeping and put your eyes out!"

She stomped off with an angry step. The rain had stopped. Dante just laughed quietly at the sight he'd just been treated to. He didn't mean to laugh but it just rolled out of him. It reminded him a bit of the kind of bickering he and Tess were capable of and it pulled him out of the gloom that was threatening to overtake him earlier.

"I don't see what's so funny," Tanglewood said stiffly. "I'll… I'll get Cold Day," he added and hurried towards the reservoir.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Cold Day had not a sign of injury on him when Dante mounted the animal again. The Nixie looked like he'd enjoyed the rain and was fidgeting and raring to go. When told by Tanglewood about the market called Place of Free Words he pricked his ears, tossed his head, nickered a curious remark and set off at a reasonable pace.

"He has heard of the market," Tanglewood shrugged. "It does not exactly have a good reputation. It's one of the few places in the Realm where Seelie and Unseelie Sídhe meet without incident. It is a forum of sorts and declared hallowed. And of course… it has become a hotbed of illicit activity. One can find anything and everything there."

Dante sneered a bit. "Yeah, including slaves." They were cutting through dense forest now but by their size and foliage Dante felt they were transitioning to a younger part of the woods.

"Hey Tangle," Dante said after a while. "Why's your sister so pissed at you?"

Tanglewood groaned. "I was hoping you would ignore that. Really, I'm not that interesting…"

Dante chuckled wryly. "Hey, I like talking and this is probably gonna take a while," he said. "'Sides, I'm stuck with you, I might as well know what I'm getting into."

"_Mmph_," Tangle huffed. "Well, you see… I'm not exactly a 'real' member of the Wood clan of Pucks."

"Not real?"

"I'm the youngest of my sires' offspring but… not the son of my Da," he confessed. "_He_ doesn't say so, but I know. So does everyone else." Then he hastily added. "Oh, er, but this is not a matter of fidelity, you see. To Pucks and a few other Sídhe, matrimony isn't really important nor is fidelity a huge issue. There is no such thing as a 'bastard' Sídhe."

Dante quirked an eyebrow. "Then what's the problem?"

"Well… I don't have all the facts, but I think my mother may have mated above her station—"

"She did what, now?"

"We Pucks have a kind of hierarchy. My family isn't very prominent," Tangle said meekly. "I believe my mother may have had a liaison with a Puck of some importance. So that makes me… awkward to have around."

Dante scoffed. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't exactly fit in. In a way, it makes me different and… well, it rather bothers them," he admitted. "They have never and _will_ never say so to my face, or even discuss it among themselves but… I know they feel it keenly."

Dante shook his head. "What, they're snubbing you?"

"No no, it's different," the Puck said quickly. "It's very hard to put this in terms humans are familiar with. I mess up the hierarchy. They don't know how to deal with me and it makes things awkward. It vexes Applewood very much because she's the youngest besides me and she was always rather Da's darling. Then I come along and made things hard for him because Da just shrugged and said I was his and that's not true. Put him on the spot."

"Ah, I know all about sibling rivalry," Dante chuckled bitterly. "Trust me, Tangle, you and your sister are good. Be happy she doesn't look like she'd go nuclear about it."

Tangle laughed nervously. "I know she cares, but I vex her. I… don't help the situation."

"Why, what'd you do?"

"You heard my sister. I deserted the troupe – the group of Pucks I lived and worked with previously. We were rangers and scouts… and thieves and miscreants, occasionally. We are part of the Seelie Court but we choose to not get involved; after all, we're mere Pucks. We worked for nobody but ourselves, save perhaps our families if needed. It's a good life for a Puck, gives us the freedom we want and uses our skills but…" Tanglewood hesitated for a long while.

"Didn't feel like it?" Dante offered.

Tangle groaned. "I… um, I'm not exactly very Puck-like. We're tricksters and pests and I… just don't feel like being that. I embarrassed myself to my troupe a couple of centuries ago. I tried harassing a human – getting a traveler lost and… well, it didn't go as planned. I led him astray, took him through dense forest, into a ravine, through a bog and even shoved him in a ditch and he… he just got back up and trudged on. Never once uttered a curse, something to show me he was upset. Eventually I got so flustered that, without realizing, I led him straight to his home where he just bragged to his children of having an adventure."

Dante laughed out loud. "You just wasted both your time and his."

Tanglewood chuckled nervously. "Yes, that's exactly what I did. I didn't really find the situation funny, either and… to be honest, I rather took a shine to the man. That's why I couldn't bring myself to lead him to injury. He never gave up. I… admired that."

"That why you quit your buddies?"

"Yes. I didn't want to be just another ranger and rogue. I always felt like I was squirming in my own skin."

Dante actually smiled sympathetically. "I may know a bit about that kind of feeling," he muttered.

"I wanted to do something. With a purpose, that is," Tanglewood grumbled. "That's why I squired myself to Sir Guyon. He served the Queen – in a very minor capacity, yes, but he was the only one who would deign to give a Puck like me a chance. Frankly as a squire I wasn't very good. Pucks simply don't have the power for such a position."

"Hey, you had the guts to deal with a half-demon and bring me over to a place where everyone hates my butt," Dante commented dryly. "Even if it'd get you killed. You're busting your ass trying to help the Twig. That's no small deal."

Tanglewood was silent for a long moment. "I owe Miss Templar. And I pay my debts. That's all there is to it."

The trees were finally growing less dense until Dante noticed that they crossed through a lot more open space and more clearings. They did not encounter any interruptions but Dante knew it wasn't bound to last. _Something_ was going to come up.

He was not disappointed.

He was used to the rhythm of Cold Day's hoofbeats on the ground so he noticed immediately when he heard a thundering rumble of multiple hooves on the ground, just ahead of them. He saw no riders immediately but the sound swept past them in the distance, then circled around the other side and almost ran parallel to them. From the sound of it, it was a lot of horses, and eventually Dante could discern voices. Loud, sharp cries and the sound of something like a trumpet.

"It sounds like a Wild Hunt," Tanglewood commented and stood up with his hands resting on Dante's shoulders. "Nobles gathering with their troupes for a great hunt. That shouldn't be a problem if we simply keep out of their way—"

"Yeah, it's not happening," Dante said suddenly and looked to his side.

The sound of thundering hooves had come closer until Dante could discern, quite clearly, figures on horses flashing through the trees. They closed in on them until Dante realized they were pursuing them in formation on either side and behind them, literally driving them forward.

"What on earth are they doing?" Tanglewood blurted.

A rider in green appeared through the trees on Dante's left, a tall and thin male with long blonde hair and a narrow, pale face, riding a spindly bay horse. It wasn't exactly like the horses of the human world; it was more elegant somehow, slender and with a beautiful curved neck and sleek head. A very long mane and its equally long tail fluttered behind it without hindering its speed. The rider didn't look around at them, just completely focused on guiding his horse ever faster forward, but flanked Dante so closely that Cold Day was forced to veer towards the right. Dante thought of stopping this but the appearance of other riders on the same side told him they were purposefully pushing him that way. He narrowed his eyes and gently tugged Cold Day's reins, making the Nixie follow suit.

These Sídhe wanted something.

It became apparent when the hunters forced them out into a clearing of tall grass, and a group of riders came through the trees ahead of them, forcing Dante to pull the reins and bring Cold Day to a stop. The rest of the riders came to a calculated stop behind and around them, boxing them in. The Nixie pawed the ground nervously and whinnied; clearly, he was not pleased with this development any more than Dante was.

Dante stared down the evident leader of this hunt as he pushed his handsome palomino horse through the other hunters. For a moment Dante nearly mistook him for a human as he had the same proportions as a tall, well-built athlete. He had a narrow, finely-chiseled pale face with deep-set, melancholy amber eyes, a straight, elegant nose and thin lips. His hair was long and chestnut-colored, bound in a loose ponytail with gold ornaments. He was dressed in an impeccable suit of dark green and black, with a dark coat and a longbow hanging from his shoulders. There was no other way of describing him: This was the most beautiful man Dante had ever seen – and at the same time there was an unsettling quality to his appearance.

The rest of the riders were of the same otherworldly beauty, both the men and the women, but the leader somehow surpassed them all. He gave off a self-assured sense that Dante almost called arrogance. The Sídhe looked Dante over, took in the Nixie and the Puck standing on the horse's flanks and looking nervously around.

"What a peculiar quarry we have brought to heel," he said merrily.

"It's only a human, Busirane," one of the ladies said. "Though not like any human I've seen."

"I was under the impression swords were no longer in favor with humans," another man chuckled. "This is almost quaint."

The leading Sídhe moved forward and while the rest of his party hummed and whispered quietly among themselves, watching, he smiled pleasantly.

"This is quite out of the ordinary. We lose one white stag and find ourselves quite another," he said pleasantly. "Forgive my insistence in detaining you, but my curiosity desired satisfaction. It isn't often that I see a human riding a Nixie trough my lands."

Tanglewood groaned quietly and then cleared his throat to try and defuse the situation. "_Ahem_—my lord Busirane, we are just on our way to the Place of Free Words. I apologize if we have crossed into your territory at an inopportune time—"

"No, I'm quite at leisure, Puck," the Sídhe interrupted with a puzzling smile. Then he fixed his gaze on Dante. "I won't detain you very long. Tell me, human, how did you come by this magnificent Nixie? This is no lowly watering pond spirit."

Dante narrowed his eyes. He didn't like this guy. "I asked for him," he said flatly. "The nice lady he belongs to let me borrow him," he said with a measure of sarcasm.

Busirane smiled widely and Dante felt like he was staring at the smile of a viper. "I see. And what brings you to the Realm? You search for riches? Or maybe something less tangible?"

Tanglewood let a choked noise from behind him and Dante clenched his jaw. He didn't have the time to fool around with this prig! "Sorry, but I don't see how that's any of your business," he snapped. "You know a human saying, about cats and curiosity? Why don't you let me get going and get back to huntin' wabbits or whatever, before it comes true for you?"

The Sídhe's expression twitched, then he chuckled. "Aah, now I see it. You are a fiend-blood. Fascinating. You hide well until you are irate. Well, I really should not keep you, if you insist."

His retinue did not share his amusement.

"Fiend-blood?"

"What, him!?"

"Don't be absurd, Busirane!"

At sound of that, most of the host around them fidgeted nervously. Some backed off slowly. Busirane tugged at the reins of his palomino and made way; with a few sharp gestures the rest of his party moved their horses, giving Dante a clear path to leave their circle. Busirane made a wide gesture with the arm, indicating they were free to go. Dante tentatively gave Cold Day signal to move and the Nixie started off in a nervous walking pace. The Sídhe of the Wild Hunt all stared at him, silently, as he passed, but none of them moved.

He actually thought that maybe for once there would be no problem.

"Oh, but one moment, human. May I know your name?" Busirane said calmly.

Dante stopped Cold Day. Something in that guy's tone bothered him. He turned the Nixie around and stared the Sídhe in the eye.

"What's it to you?" Dante asked.

He really did not like Busirane's smirk. "Because I would like to know what name to inscribe under your head when I have mounted it on a pike in my trophy room," he said merrily. "I have been hunting a white stag but now I am quite desirous of a higher quarry. A fiend-blood seems an adequate challenge."

Dante noticed that a few of the Sídhe in his party gave him alarmed and surprised looks and then looked at each other. Clearly, not everyone was quite in agreement. He smirked back. "You really want to go down that path, princess?" he challenged. "Because you're not the first one and I've played with nastier assholes than you."

Busirane's smirk grew more savage. "If you put it that way, I suppose names do not matter. The hunt is all that—_AUGH_!"

An arrow flew with a sharp whistle and the Sídhe reeled back on his saddle when it struck his eye and his horse reared with a whinny of alarm. Tanglewood lowered his bow and immediately slapped Cold Day on the rump, causing the Nixie to bolt. Dante grabbed onto the reins and hunched forward to keep from falling off the horse. They barreled into the woods as the shouting of the injured Sídhe reached a savage pitch and then the Wild Hunt was after them.

"For fuck's sake, can't we spend three hours without something trying to kill us?" Dante grumbled quietly. "This place is more ridiculous than the Underworld! At least demons I _get_!"

"Sir! About that rule, the one about pissing off Sídhe?" Tanglewood bristled.

"What?"

"_Sod it_! Kill that Unseelie bastard if you like! He's a Malecasta arse-kisser through and through!" Tanglewood snapped. "And unless you've grown hard of hearing – he just said he'd love to stick a knife in your belly and mount your head on a spike!"

Dante laughed at the Puck's frustration. "You got that right. He's starting a fight and I have no problem finishing it."

"Exactly, sir!" Tanglewood grinned. "I have no doubt that between the two of us – well… mostly you… that you could take out this Wild Hunt, but there's no need! Sir Busirane is a braggart who controls his peers by force! They are hardly as enthusiastic about this as he is!"

"So if he goes down, they'll quit," Dante growled.

"Precisely! And we shall not waste time!"

Dante liked that plan. Sure, he wouldn't really get to have all the fun he'd like but sometimes a demon hunter has to separate playtime from business and now was strictly business.

But maybe just a _little_ playtime.

He leaned back while letting Cold Day gallop like a stabbed rat, with Tanglewood hanging from the Nixie's neck weightlessly, and waved cheekily at the Wild Hunt. "Hey Boo-Boo! I'm still here if you really want me!"

Tanglewood cackled and mimicked him, waving with his bow. Dante was pleased to see a whole lot of blood streaming from the Sídhe's eye as he led the Hunt. He had a furious expression that marred his perfect face worse than the injury did. Maybe Dante ought to compliment Tnaglewood's prowess with that little bow after all. As Dante watched, Busirane drew his bow, nocked an arrow and shot at Dante without even pausing to aim. The arrow never reached him, since he drew one of his guns and shot the arrow out of the air. The Sídhe appeared to be able to charge his arrows with some kind of power because on impact both projectiles were obliterated with a sharp noise.

"Heh-heh-heh! You'll have to catch up if you want me!" Dante teased.

Other arrows flew their way from other riders and Dante shot them down too. Tanglewood vanished briefly and Dante looked back to see two horses go down with loud, pained whinnies as two arrows, one after the other, flew from the trees and struck them, right in the knee-joint of the front leg, as it came down. Though small, the arrows went straight through the joints, causing the elegant horses to let shrieking neighs of pain and crumble, taking their riders down with them.

Tangle reappeared on Cold Day's back, panting. "That will slow the others down," he wheezed. "Some will fumble with the fallen. Oberon have mercy, I can't believe I've attacked nobles."

Dante scowled. "Good, I want that jerk to myself."

Busirane's palomino was galloping at full speed but it was no match for the Nixie. Cold Day's gallop wasn't nearly as frenzied as the palomino horse's, but he still was ahead by a good deal of distance. Dante kept looking back to shoot down arrows and watch the Sídhe. Little by little, in the frenzy of his chase, Busirane was outstripping his Wild Hunt. His palomino was gaining on Dante – and that's exactly what he wanted.

"Tangle, stick to the back and keep low," he growled.

With a sudden yank on the reins, he turned Cold Day around suddenly and directed the warhorse straight at Busirane. Cold Day's hooves thundered on the ground and Busirane's expression changed from that of concentrated anger to stunned silence but he didn't think of slowing his horse. He reached for a blade hanging from his belt, but it was too late. Just before he rode past the Sídhe, Dante drew Rebellion from his back, twirled it once and swung. The blade flashed once but there were two crunching sounds.

Dante had put all of his strength into the swing, coupled with the sheer speed that Cold Day had developed. The result was that as the blade swung, it decapitated _both rider and horse_. The cuts were clean and the bodies careened forward through the wooded path, crashed through the trees and slid to a stop a good distance away. The heads rolled down the slightly downhill ground – Busrane's head still bore the shocked expression as it bounced along the ground.

The hunt was over. Dante brought Cold Day to stop and faced the stunned Wild Hunt, who had suddenly stopped and stared at the spectacle, petrified. Cold Day snorted and pawed at the ground nervously, chomping at the bit and twitching. Dante held Rebellion loosely in hand and gripped the reins with the other. He glared at the Sídhe hunters from under his eyebrows and asked them a calm question.

"Anyone else feel like playing tag?"

After a second of stunned silence, the Wild Hunt retreated slowly. They turned their horses around wordlessly and slunk back through the trees. Dante stayed like that until the last of the Sídhe was gone and they could only hear the hasty hoofbeats of the host as they hurried away.

Tanglewood blinked and suddenly appeared seated in front of Dante. "They shouldn't follow us, sir. We ought to get going," he said, unusually subdued.

Dante sheathed his sword again and turned the Nixie around. Cold Day started off at a brisk trot and held his head quite high and seemed unusually… chipper. Unlike Tanglewood, who was completely quiet and just stared ahead of him at Cold Day's mane.

"Hey Tinkerbell, why the long face?" Dante said with a small smile. "Starting to regret bringing me over?"

"No, I don't," Tangle replied quickly. "I just… this did not really go as I had planned."

He groaned. "I probably didn't think this through. I… actually thought that if I brought you to the Realm everything would be fine and we would rescue Miss Templar and send you both on your way. But… every step of the way something goes wrong! First the skeleton key portal malfunctions, then the Sluagh attacks us, then the Grande Dame forces a bargain onto you, now this – I don't know how much more I can take."

He grabbed his head in his slender fingers and hunched forward. "Jeez… my sister is right. I'm such a washout."

Dante rolled his eyes. "Bullshit," he snapped. "Come on, cut yourself some slack Tink, none of this nonsense was your fault. If you want to play it that way, I'm the one pissing everyone off here – and I don't admit that for just anybody, so quit it with the doom and gloom."

Tanglewood turned his head and glanced at Dante over his shoulder. Then he turned back and rubbed his face in his hands. "Please don't call me Tinkerbell, dumb human. But… thank you."

"Then stop feeling sorry for yourself, you're probably embarrassing Pucks everywhere."

Cold Day nickered in agreement and tossed his great head as he trotted along the now deserted forest path.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

While he still found the whole riding thing an unexpected and exhilarating experience, after all that distance Dante was really starting to feel his butt turn sore. He would never admit to that so he stiffened his face and refused to even grimace about how much he was raring for a break – or how relieved he was when Tanglewood announced that they were nearly there. They gradually left the forest behind at last, and after crossing an expanse of hills covered in luscious grass, they were now in the middle of a large expanse of moorland covered in grass, bracken, gorse, moss and other low shrubs with only large rock formations and the occasional lone tree breaking through the sea of grass and shrub.

The so called Place of Free Words stuck out like a sore thumb, as consequence. There was a large spire or tower rising from the ground and on its top Dante saw a kind of light – as if the place was a lighthouse – from quite a ways away. Tangle mentioned the beacon served as a means to identify the place as neutral ground. But something was wrong.

The base of the spire was blackened and as they got closer, they witnessed a wide trail of scorched ground, devoid of almost all vegetation, leading to the spire.

"This does not bode well," Tanglewood gulped.

Dante narrowed his eyes at it. Fire usually meant Tess had been around but this was recent and there was something off about it. "This wasn't done by the Twig," he muttered.

When they walked into the forum itself, following the trail, the fact was evident. The cobblestones that made up the trading ground were scorched and some were flung up, as though a plough had been through them. Tatters of burned cloth tents and debris with burn damage were strewn about. A couple of small buildings had collapsed – the rest of the stone structures around the spire were intact but the place was nearly deserted and Dante could sense a feeling of unease. There was still the smell of soot in the air.

"Something has happened here," Tanglewood observed.

"Ya think?" Dante muttered.

The both got off the Nixie and Dante mechanically scratched the animal's neck and got an appreciative snort for his troubles. "So now what?"

Tanglewood just wrinkled his nose. "Well, I think the best course of action is to split up. Your presence won't be entirely welcome with those who trade in information and… well…"

"You think I'm just gonna blow up on them. And you're right, that's probably what I'd do," Dante scowled. "Fine. Go do your thing. I'll just find some place to wait—"

"Actually," Tanglewood said cautiously. "You should rest. I know you're half-demon and everything, but the Realm is… well, you know. You won't do either of us – or Miss Templar! – any good if you're exhausted."

Dante raised an eyebrow and glared down at the insolent Puck, who just stared back with all seriousness. He had half a mind to blow him off with a sarcastic comment but honestly… the short-round had a point. Just being in the Realm felt funny and fighting and exerting himself was actually downright draining for some reason. He had a half-baked theory that it might have to do with the fact that the Realm was completely alien to him, unlike the human realm or the Underworld but theories weren't his thing.

"Right," he grumbled. "I'll keep out of the way."

Tanglewood pointed to a surviving building with a sign in a language Dante couldn't decipher. "That is a—er, you call them 'bars' in the human world, right? You should be able to secure some sustenance there as well."

Dante gulped. Yeah, he hadn't really thought of food since he got into this mess. Now that he thought about it better though, it might've been a good idea. But eat what? He directed a dubious glance at Tanglewood.

"Oh, the food shouldn't harm you," Tangle shrugged, correctly guessing the question and then grinning. "Given what Miss Templar has told me about your eating habits, I think you would even prefer ogre fare," he stated. "But I suggest you just order a hunter's meal and cider. That tends to sit the best with humans."

"What!?" Dante blurted. Then he frowned. _Wait… she's been talking to him about me? Tsk, that's so like her, making underhanded jokes at my expense…_

Tanglewood fumbled around in his vest and pulled out a cloth pouch like the one he'd given Dante as payment when they first met. He opened it, counted out a handful of some large, hefty-looking gold coins and handed them to Dante. Dante didn't even pretend to understand the scrawls on them, but they were vaguely plant-like. He raised an eyebrow at them.

"Is this actually fairy money?" he chuckled.

Tanglewood tied off his purse and returned it to his vest with a scowl. "In a sense. We use different things as currency in the Realm, from tangible riches to magic and… other tradable things. Look, that'll get you a meal. Let Cold Day go to the waterway near the pub. I'll go get information. And um… don't mind keeping low here so much. As things are now, it's best to advertise that you're not to be trifled with."

"Right," Dante grumbled.

They parted ways and Dante headed for the 'bar' – the building was only slightly singed from the greater disaster, sporting some small amounts of scorched plaster on the outside and the vine that had been climbing on it was burned to cinders. He let go of Cold Day's reins and the Nixie again casually took its own way to the large waterway Dante could see flowing in the distance.

He was less apprehensive about the 'bar' when he pushed the frosted glass door and walked in. It looked so similar to a common bar that he actually relaxed just a bit. The place actually _smelled_ like some halfway decent dives he'd been in. There was a perfectly recognizable drink bar in the back, plenty of tables with customers and even the same kind of old and unreliable lighting he'd expect. Sídhe of all kind were occupying tables around the bar, from Pucks to what Dante would tentatively call 'gnomes' and ogres, some goblins and several human sized Sídhe. There was even a very noisy 'swarm' of several tiny, winged humanoids Dante felt should be pixies, squabbling like sparrows on a table in the back.

Most of them ignored him completely as he entered and crossed the space to the bar, busy with their drinks, their discussions or their card games. A few were eating and the sight just made Dante's stomach growl a bit. The bar was tended by an almost comically large and burly creature that must've been an ogre. He had a very pronounced underbite and jowls that made his face almost look like a bulldog's, small but intelligent eyes, dark gray skin with lighter patches and a shock of light gray hair and beard that surrounded his face in such a way that Dante was reminded of Chinese 'foo dogs'.

"Fancy that," he muttered unexpectedly eloquently. His voice had an edge like grinding stones. "A human! Haven't seen one of your kind here in some time. What can I get you?"

Dante eyed up the big fellow and cracked a smile. It was hard not to get amused. He took a seat on a high stool that looked like the metal it was made of grew out of the floor and into almost organic shapes. "How about some grub? And maybe what the hell happened here? Place looks pretty trashed."

"You'll be wanting the hunter's fare then, sits better with humans," the ogre muttered and turned around, displaying more bristly hair down his bare back and bent into a small window at the side of the bar's wall and growled an order. When he did that, Dante saw that his left leg was missing from the knee down and instead the big fellow had a large carved prosthetic.

"What happened was Salamanders," the bar-orge snarled and bared his huge, yellow teeth distastefully. "Bastards. Bunch of them rampaged through the market, burned most of it to the ground and killed a whole lot of folks."

"Salamanders, eh?" Dante mused. "How long ago?"

"Eh, three days or so. Ugly mess. Those freaks don't show themselves often but when they do, they don't leave nothing hanging around. I should know."

The ogre patted his maimed leg meaningfully.

Dante didn't like how that sounded. If Salamanders had come here, could they be looking for Tess? If so, how possible was it that they had found her and just how dangerous was that, if it had indeed happened? Tanglewood would probably dig that up, so even though he felt restless, Dante kept himself parked on his seat and waited. He paid up front for his meal and drink – more cider; he was taking a liking to the stuff. While Dante relaxed there with his drink, he felt someone watching him.

Casually glancing to his right, he noticed a small group of similarly dressed fey. They were human sized; two had fair skin and hair and another had scaly skin in pale gray, a rather long face and ropy hair almost like the mane of a horse. They were all dressed in similar pale-colored, light armor with a stylized image of the spire on their pauldrons. They sat quietly around a table tucked away in the corner, nursing drinks and the scaly one was eating something that looked like a pile of kelp on a plate.

But Dante's gaze was more attracted to the one among them who wore a dark cloak over his armor and had his hood pulled down low over his face. A long, white thin pipe peeked out of the hood, gently emanating smoke. Dante knew that one was staring right at him.

"Hey… who are they?" Dante asked the ogre with a small nod towards the group.

"Local guard," rumbled the ogre. "What's left of 'em when the Salamanders were done."

Satisfied, temporarily, with that answer, Dante diverted his attention to the plate that the ogre put in front of him. He was presented with a large savory pastry of sorts, filled with a very tender, seasoned piece of venison (probably) and spicy red gravy. It was actually a lot like a calzone and came with a kind of strange green salad that was sweet and hot all at once. Despite thinking it was not his usual taste, he still ate it because it wasn't bad. Besides, that goddamn Sídhe was still staring at him and Dante wanted to ignore him.

Suddenly a short, squat little lump of a man dressed all in red ran into the bar, screaming in a shrill voice about 'ripple'. The ogre at the bar tensed and almost dropped a large bottle but Dante was more interested in the reaction of the group of Sídhe in the corner. They all got up from their chairs without any fumble and rushed out of the bar with a determined step.

_Ripple… that's how the Sídhe call gates to the Underworld,_ Dante thought. _Which means…_

He was out of the door himself the next instant. He followed the small group as they wound past the few standing buildings and into the large, open plaza, filled with burned and destroyed stands and debris. Panicked smaller Sídhe were running the opposite way, all of them glancing back with horrified expressions.

It turned out that 'ripple' was a very accurate way to describe these portals to the Underworld. Dante saw the air in the middle of the whole commotion flicker like it was superheated. A crack appeared with a strange, grating noise. It was literally a crack in reality, there was no better way to put it. The crack spread and flickered and was then torn open like a piece of meat pulled apart by two dogs. Dante got that usual, funny feeling he did when the Underworld crept too close.

The guard from the bar had deployed around the ripple at a distance with weapons at the ready, none of them flinching. The hooded one had thrown back his hood; he was a human-like, great fey who was tall even by Sídhe standards and had copper-red hair and a very harsh, focused expression. By contrast, Dante sidled up to them almost casually, with his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Back off, human. This is not a fight for the likes of you," the copper-headed Sídhe snapped.

"Sorry to crash your party, but I think you'll find this is more _my_ kinda fight than yours," Dante replied with a smirk and walked nearly past him.

The Sídhe didn't react, except to tighten his grip around his weapons of choice: two narrow, curved blades that tapered to a point and had heavy grips. "Then, as your kind says, it is your funeral," he only said.

The eerie, throaty laugh that wafted through the air made Dante's eyes narrow. He hated that laugh, even if it was years since he'd last heard it. It was deep and guttural, as if coming up from the depths of a well. Or Hell. The first Death Scythe sailed out of the ripple with a roaring laugh, swinging the scythes in its hands lazily, followed by another, then a few Death Scissors. They poured out of the ripple one by one. Dante frowned.

_Too bad I didn't bring the shotgun,_ he sighed mentally. _They make a fun crack when they're hit._

It was an intense battle, even for Dante's standards. He hadn't seen Death Scythes or Scissors in quite some time but he hadn't forgotten how hard they could hit – or that downright annoying thing they could do, mess with his abilities and make him more sluggish. Or even those stupid whirlwinds they conjured, which could launch him into the air… but then again, he could take advantage of those. The Sídhe had no qualms fighting, despite being grossly outnumbered. The tall blond ones drew single-handed blades and the scaly one produced a peculiar kind of blade on a chain.

What interested him the most though was the fact that the two blonde Sídhe and the redhead could all disrupt the demons' whirlwind traps. They threw thin, tapered blades like needles into the center of the traps and the blades had a kind of exorcising effect, dissolving the whirlwinds. The scaly Sídhe used his chain blade to deflect the scythes the demons threw and pull a Scissor towards him so he could crush the mask after repeated assaults. They were watching him as much as Dante watched them because when they noticed he was aiming for the Scythes' masks in particular, they followed suit. The redheaded one in particular was well-versed. He could zip around sort of like Tanglewood did, vanishing from one spot and appearing elsewhere, too fast for the Scythes to catch him, and assault their masks from midair and was very adept at avoiding their attacks.

Although he missed blowing these things back with a shotgun, charged shots from his handguns were just as satisfying, to the point where he forgot about Tanglewood's warnings about advertising his half-demon status too openly. Soon the air was filled with the haunting echoes of the guttural laugh of the demons as one by one they were felled, slowly but surely. Sídhe blades cut and smashed demonic shell like butter and the scaly Sídhe was amazingly resilient; he took a direct hit from that nasty corkscrew attack the Scissors did, which Dante remembered seeing in the past, and he just got right back up despite his cracked breastplate and the blood that oozed from under it. It was all over surprisingly quickly.

All the while, the ripple was steadily shrinking, the crack mending itself until it was reduced to a weak sliver in the quivering air that vanished as the last Death Scythe's mask was shattered by Dante's Rebellion. An unpleasant static was left in the air, but it would no doubt dissipate. Dante had only just sheathed Rebellion when the edge of a blade was directed at his throat.

The ruddy-haired Sídhe was in front of him, out of nowhere, holding one blade directed at Dante's throat and the other poised to disembowel him. The Sídhe had pale eyes and a streak of blood stained his cheek but his expression was even and stony cold.

"Why are you in the Realm, fiend-blood?" he asked quietly.

Dante stood still but he felt no inclination to get serious. He just smirked and shook his head. "Is that any way to treat somebody who helped you with a demon invasion?"

The Sídhe did not even blink but his tone did not change either. "Answer my question."

Dante just stared back, irritated and amused at the same time. The other three Sídhe did not make any motion to approach – but they didn't put their weapons away either. Frankly, Dante could have just brushed the guy off and suffer the consequences… but he didn't see an actual point. The Sídhe wasn't attacking him and neither did he have the haughty aggression of the Wild Hunt. He was a guard doing his damn job.

"I'm looking for someone," he said. "Red headed girl, a human. She got stuck in the Realm. Likes fire. I heard she was here."

The Sídhe blinked slowly and Dante saw his thin lips twitch; he was considering. Then he lowered the blade slowly and put away his weapons, but didn't take his eyes off Dante. "I see. Your friend is not likely to be here, hunter," he said, almost coldly. "The Salamanders devastated the Place of Free Words very thoroughly. If she was here, then she is either certainly dead… or taken. You should leave."

"But Arawn, sir!" blurted one of the blond Sídhe. "He is fiend-blood, he cannot live!"

The red-head, Arawn, turned and glared at the Sídhe who spoke. "I don't see why not," he said dryly. "One fiend-blood is nothing compared to the demon scum that crawls through the Realm today."

He favored Dante with one last glance. "Fair hunts, stranger," he said and left Dante, gesturing his men to follow. The other Sídhe hesitated, watching Dante closely and then followed Arawn. Dante narrowed his eyes and watched them go, then turned and faced Tanglewood who was just coming up to him.

"Are you—"

"Fine," Dante said, cutting him off. "What did you find out?"

Tanglewood eyed him up a little warily before answering. "Very little. I traced Miss Templar's whereabouts since she was brought to the Place of Free Words. I expected she would have made some attempt to escape but the ones who did see her claimed she appeared weak and ill. She was indeed sold. But the trader who handled her case perished in the Salamander attack. The sale was apparently confidential. Nobody knows who took her," he said grimly.

"Then it's a dead end?" Dante snapped. "Well good job, Tink, now what do we do?"

Tanglewood stiffened and his eyes grew wide while his mouth trembled, half-open, as if he was struggling to find words. "I… I don't rightly know," he managed at length. He brought his hand to his head and gripped a handful of hair and stared ahead of him blankly. "I never thought that Salamanders would get involved and obliterate our clues – I… I just… I need time. Oh but we don't have much time, it's already been two weeks—"

Dante frowned. The Puck was panicking. He wanted to get angry at him but they'd both get nowhere, real fast. "Tanglewood, stop freaking out," he snapped.

"B-but I've failed Miss Templar!" he sputtered back.

"My… my… lost something, have we?" a withered, old voice wheezed.

Dante and Tanglewood both turned their heads. Looking up between them was a bent figure even shorter than Tanglewood, quite rotund but with spindly bowed legs and dressed in a ragged brown cloak. It was so bent with age that it had to use a comically crooked and knobby stick to stay upright. Under the hood draped over its squat head it was incredibly ugly, as if hewn from a piece of sea-weathered wood, with bleary, crusted eyes and wispy gray-brown hair.

"Er… Uh, yes?" Tanglewood blurted. "We are looking—"

"Fer the changeling witch, aye?" the creature croaked and hobbled closer. It looked up at Dante from under its hood. "I heard ye speaking to Arawn. I'm but a crusty ol' Coblyneau but we know a thing or two about finding things, tha' we do…"

Tanglewood seized the gnarly hand of the Coblyneau. "Please! If you know something about her whereabouts, please tell me! She is in great danger and I owe her! I am honor bound to recover her!"

The old thing cackled hoarsely. "Eeh, my lad, o' course! T'was almost a fortnight ago. They took the witchy lass away, a'fore the Salamanders came, but she weren't looking very well by then."

"Do you know _who_ took her away?" Tanglewood asked hopefully.

"T'was in the night, my lad, I coul'ne say. But I saw their cloaks as they had aspen leaves all o'er. Had a northern air followin' them, I reckon. An' they smelled like meltwater an' tansy," crooned the old Sídhe.

"Th-that's it?" Tanglewood blurted hopelessly.

The Coblyneau nodded and cackled. "Why yes! Yer a Puck, aren't ye? And ye've got a noggin, ah? Tha'll be enough for ye to find yer way, won't it? Ye Pucks know e'erything in th'Realm about Sídhe!"

Tanglewood let go of the old Sídhe reluctantly and sank into thought. "Um… yes, I see…"

Dante just raised an eyebrow at him. "You see, what, exactly?"

The old creature cackled up at him. "Oh dear! Yer the one all this fuss is aboot? Huh! Barrelin' aboot on Nixies, takin' heads off the gentry! Hahah! More's the better, says I," it crooned. "Well now, ye two have fun."

Just as the old thing was about to hobble away, Tanglewood grabbed the Coblyneau by the arm again. "Wait! Aspens! _Aspenvale!_ They came from Aspenvale! A giant grove of aspens, right at the foot of the mountains – it's the only settlement in the north where a great Sídhe would be rich enough to procure Miss Templar! It makes sense! All this secrecy!"

The Coblyneau cackled again. "Well now, tha's a fair chance, innit?"

"What are you talking about?" Dante asked with a small sigh.

"I know where she is! If she's there for the past week or so she'll be safe!" Tanglewood snapped and grabbed Dante by the coat. "Come on, come on, we need to _go_!"

"Right. Back to rescuing the fairy princess," he muttered.

Dante was getting annoyed at all this Sídhe melodrama and delays but frankly, there wasn't much he could do. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches, after all. So he just followed Tanglewood as the Puck ran towards the waterway, calling for Cold Day. The Coblyneau's crooning laugh faded quietly behind him.


End file.
